Late night thoughts

Forgive me if this rambles a bit.

I was a little bit surprised at the reaction I had this week to "American Idiot." Honestly, I hadn't really thought of myself as much of an "opera elitist" until then. I have a long background in musical theater and a strong love for contemporary works, which often require some flexibility when it comes to one's expectations. I tend to have an open mind when it comes to music. Somehow, though, our discussion on Thursday really hit a nerve.

I recognize, as my classmates have, that rock opera is not classical opera. It is operatic only in the sense that the entire work is composed of music, rather than interspersed with dialogue. But it makes me wonder whether someone seeing a rock opera would be at all inspired to see a traditional opera. It seems unlikely. Might kids a century from now think of this as opera? I think part of my reaction was tied up in the placement of this work at the end of the line of ‘traditional’ operas we have been looking at. Even after looking at many different ideas within the American Opera idiom, “American Idiot” seems a far cry from all of them.

What I will say is this; my negative reaction is absolutely driven by ego and fear. Fear of what might happen if all of the energy and money I have spent on degrees in classical voice is going to waste. Fear of not being able to find a job after graduate school. Fear of not being able to make a living. etc. etc. etc. It feels a little like defending my territory.

Perhaps I do need to think more flexibly about this work and the rock opera tradition in general, but if someday in the future the progression of operatic tradition ends with rock opera, you can bet that I will be the old lady sitting at home listening to her CDs of La Traviata and weeping for the good old days.

[Note: Speaking of pop/ rock and opera…did you know that Rufus Wainwright had composed on opera, Prima Donna, that was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera, but they canceled it because he wrote it in French? Take a look at this video. On a related note, this video just goes to show that the way it is sung and orchestrated is a huge part of determining the style of a work.]