Hungarian singers declare ‘we are African-American’
mainFifteen singers of the Hungarian State Opera have declared themselves in writing to be African-Americans in order to appear in Porgy and Bess, according to the opera’s director Szilveszter Okovacs.
The Gershwin estate requires Porgy casts to be of African ethnicity.
In order to get around the condition, 15 out of 28 performers have signed a paper stating that ‘African-American descent and consciousness are an inseparable part’ of their identity.
Only a matter of time before ex-Pres Obama declares himself to be Hungarian-American.
One is reminded of Einstein’s supposed comment about infinity and human stupidity
One should not forget that over the decades of living under various authoritarian regimes, the good people of Eastern Europe developed a considerable skill in bending ridiculous rules and regulations. A clear victory for music and common sense!
Yes of course. One has to adopt the appropriate indentity group label as the individual is valueless.
Reminiscent of Elizabeth Warren’s stupid and inexplicable using of her likely insignificant Native American ancestry to get ahead.
In her case, it’s true.
In these cases, it’s not.
1/1024th Native American. “True?” Please.
Right on. The woman isn’t terribly bright.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEpmkqWZgT8
A Jew wrote this song; what the heck would he know about discrimination? Obviously he didn’t have the ‘smarts’ of Elizabeth Warren.
Don’t agree with you about Elizabeth Warren, but OMG that video clip. . .
It was meant to be funny!! Back when people had a sense of humor. Ah, memories…
How much longer will the Gershwin estate be able to make this silly demand?
As long as they own the copyright. I understand why they do, but it does limit the ability to stage Porgy in many parts of the world.
I had thought the Estate had made an exception for European productions, recognizing that black performers would be in short supply.
Source of figure?
It’s disrespectful, IMHO, & demonstrates the ignorance & complete lack of understanding that many Eastern Europeans have in matters of race & racial identity. They seem to be esp. oblivious to US civil rights history & Gershwin’s reasons for making this stipulation. I hope the Gershwin Estate sends someone with dna kits there to test every one of those 15 singers for ethnicity & sues the company if their claims prove to be false.
[[ They seem to be esp. oblivious to US civil rights history ]]
And why the *hell* are they obliged to know your history? You clearly know diddly squat about European history. You think Europe is a country, and you make rude and arrogant generalisations about its nations and peoples. Grow up.
My history? I live in Europe. I know my history thank you, but perhaps you’ve never heard of the EU. Hungary is a member nation. As are Bulgaria, Romania, Czechia and Poland. We share a currency, a centralized govt. and a European heritage.
I work with many people from that part of the EU, and among the older generation in particular there is a certain naivete about race. They are predominantly white countries, and historically they don’t have much experience with different races. There is a lot of ignorance and bias towards Asians and, I’d imagine, Africans as well.
If you’re performing a work with a strong historical context, like Porgy & Bess, you’ve got to know the history of it. That is “why the *hell* they are obliged to know” about it. And it should be respected, IMHO.
Instead of respectully contacting the Gershwin Estate and perhaps requesting a dispensation of the requirement for a black cast, which is reasonable, considering that they wish to present it in a white country, the general director of the Hungarian State Opera, Szilveszter Okavacs, is literally and very publicly thumbing his nose at the Gershwin Estate, the wishes of the composer, and the history of the opera and its context in US history.
Yesterday’s NY Times gives a good description of the situation: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/10/arts/hungary-opera-porgy-and-bess.html
Unfortunately it’s not the 1st time Mr. Okavacs has run amok trying to present an opera out of context. Let’s just say that this Porgy is not his first rodeo. He is a apparently an arrogant and outspoken advocate of taking operas out of context and presenting them in whatever way he pleases, regardless of the wishes of the composer or what’s in the score.
According to critics, this production has nothing to do with Porgy and Bess. Mr. Okavacs is using the Gershwin music to present his own story. It’s apparently set in a modern Hungarian train station, with a mostly white cast. Given Gershwin’s strict requirements during his lifetime, a production like this should at least require the permission of the Gershwin Estate.
Stravinsky’s Estate recently forbade Yuja Wang and Martin Grubinger from performing a duo version of Rite of Spring. The heirs of these great composers have an obligation to preserve the integrity of what they wanted.
As a courtesy, Mr. Okavacs should have at least consulted the Gershwin Estate. He should have asked permission. Given that he wanted to do the production in a white country, perhaps the rules could have been flexed. But he didn’t. He made a public mockery of Gershwin’s stipulation for a black cast. He is speaking to the press and thumbing his nose at the composer, his wishes and his Estate.
To me, this is inexcusable.
Anon writes: “I hope the Gershwin Estate sends someone with dna kits there to test every one of those 15 singers for ethnicity & sues the company if their claims prove to be false.”
There is no gene which makes someone “black”. There is no way to prove someone is not black, or that someone is genetically Hungarian. The Gershwin estate would simply lose if they try to sue.
Do you mean race, racial identity or ethnicity? Or, do you mean to use them interchangeably? Your point is unclear for lack of rigor.
What a shameful lie – and in writing, signed.
My impression has been that the Gershwin estate only imposed this as an absolute condition in the US, and waived it for countries without a substantial number of performers of African origin (which might mean that the Hungarian performers’ actions will prove self-defeating). The estate will lose its ability to make such demands in the US when P&B becomes public domain there in 2031 (assuming P&B was published in 1935), while in most European countries copyright on P&B would expire 70 years after the death of the longest-lived co-author, which was Ira Gershwin, who died in 1983. Even then, the looser “moral rights” provisions of most European countries could still allow the estate to impose those restrictions, theoretically ad infinitum.
Rachel Dolezal gained positions because she ‘identified as’ black when she wasn’t.
True; but then she lost them when her true identity was discovered.
Claimed she is “transracial” which the American left seems to be perfectly happy with.
Well, this supporter of the UK left *isn’t* happy with it. There’s no occasion to use this to slag off people who aren’t right-wingers. It’s simply that “I identify as X” doesn’t mean you ARE X.
It is for this reason that there are legitimate productions of Porgy and Bess constantly touring Europe with African-descent cast members, which provides many of them with a career. So it is quite ethically and morally wrong of these Hungarians to insist on being in the show. But it certainly is non-traditional casting. I doubt it will be allowed. They could do Treemonisha instead, which probably doesn’t have those requirements, or even simpler, Showboat.
Word. Well said.
“Only a matter of time before ex-Pres Obama declares himself to be Hungarian-American.”
Because?
That such a comment was made is an indicator of how backwards and primitive most Europeans are on race.
How does it show that even one European is “backwards and primitive…on race”?
“The Gershwin estate requires Porgy casts to be of African ethnicity” – wait a minute, in 1943, right in the middle of the Nazi occupation of Denmark, Porgy & Bess received it’s European debut, and sung in Danish by danish singers (Einar Nørby and Else Brems in the title roles)
https://youtu.be/q3JpWqTp3hA
I also recall a Götz Friedrich production at the Komische Oper Berlin early in the 70’s (Chereau’s Bayreuth Hagen Fritz Hübner sang Porgy), and of course, all sung Auf Deutsch (!)
Interesting blog on this subject: “Whitewashing Porgy & Bess”. Memorable quote – “We must respect the intentions of those who create the art.”
https://www.classicalhive.com/home/2018/2/14/white-washing-porgy-and-bess
Can I identify as of African Descent even if, through no fault of my own, I was born with a white skin ?
Yes, since there is nothing really to determine what people are ethnically. The only requirement is you (or others) describe yourself as having that identity.
I wonder if these two artists had to declare that they identified as homeless? I think we need to be told.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9z9Q9KbJOg