The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: Singer David Daniels is accused of drugging and raping a young opera singer
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By Jacob Stockinger
More allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault keep emerging from the world of classical music, even as the #MeToo movement is again in the headlines with accusations and denials about the movie star Asia Argento having sex with a minor.
The latest allegation is an accusation by a young opera singer who says that in 2010 he was drugged and raped by David Daniels (below), who is world-famous as a countertenor and who teaches at the University of Michigan, where he is now on leave.
Included in the allegation is Daniels’ husband Scott Walters, who is a conductor and who is accused of participating in the drug and rape incident.
Here is a well-researched and well-reported story from National Public Radio (NPR):
https://www.npr.org/2018/08/22/640945881/opera-singer-david-daniels-accused-of-rape
And here is a link to the story in The New York Daily News, the newspaper that first broke the story. That version also has photos of the accuser and Scott Walters.
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Classical music: What should — and shouldn’t — the #MeToo movement mean for women in the opera world?
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By Jacob Stockinger
It is clear now that just about all aspects of life and culture in the United States are being affected more and more by the #MeToo movement that seeks to expose, punish, correct and prevent sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, sexual assault, sexual abuse and gender inequality in general.
But what does that mean specifically for the notoriously patriarchal and misogynistic opera world – meaning for the operas themselves and their themes, plots, characters and composers as well as for the people who put them on?
How, for example, should one now think of “Don Giovanni” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? (The womanizing Don Juan is seen below in a production of “Don Giovanni” by the Metropolitan Opera.)
A recent discussion on National Public Radio (NPR) covered many dimensions of the problem, and The Ear found what was said fascinating although he didn’t agree with everything.
One Italian production went so far as to change the ending of a famous and popular opera – Bizet’s “Carmen” — in order to redeem the doomed heroine.
That seems excessive to The Ear, something that recalls the 17th-century writer Nahum Tate who rewrote the tragedy “King Lear” by Shakespeare to give it a happy ending. (You can hear the original ending of “Carmen” in the YouTube video at the bottom. The 2009 production by the Metropolitan Opera features Roberto Alagna and Elina Garanca.)
It brings up the question: How far should one go in imposing contemporary values on the past? And does rejecting an artist also mean rejecting that artist’s work?
Read the edited transcript or listen to the entire 8-minute discussion for yourself. Besides the female host (Lulu Garcia-Navarro), three women – two singers (Aleks Romano and Leah Hawkins) and one administrator (Kim Witman) – ask questions and give their opinions and thoughts.
Here is a link to the story that was posted on the NPR blog “Deceptive Cadence”:
Then decide what you think you would like to see done to address the concerns of the #MeToo movement in the opera world, and what is allowed and not allowed to you.
And let us know in the COMMENT section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AleksRomano, #ArtisticWork, #DeceptiveCadence, #DonGiovanni, #DonJuan, #ElinaGaranca, #GenderInequality, #GeorgesBizet, #HappyEnding, #KimWitman, #KingLear, #LeahHawkins, #LuluGarcia-Navarro, #MeToo, #MeToomovement, #MetropolitanOpera, #NahumTate, #NationalPublicRadio, #OperaComposer, #OperaWorld, #OriginalEnding, #RobertoAlagna, #SexualAbuse, #SexualAssault, #SexualHarassment, #SexualMisconduct, #TheMet, #UnitedStates, #WilliamShakespeare, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, administrator, America, artist, Arts, Baroque, blog, character, Classical music, composer, contemporary, culture, discussion, Don JUan, ending, famous, George Frideric Handel, hero, heroine, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, life, Madison, Madison Opera, Metropolitan Opera, misogynistic, misogyny, Mozart, Music, New York City, NPR, opera, Opinions, original, patriarchal, patriarchy, plot, popular, production, question, rewrite, singer, the Met, theme, thoughts, tragedy, transcript, U.S., United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, values, vocal music, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, womanizer, work, world, YouTube
Classical music: James Levine has been fired by The Met for sexual abuse. Plus, “Pulcinella Re-Imagined: An Evening of Music by Mr. Chair” will be performed at The Mineral Point Opera House this Friday night at 7 p.m.
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NEWS ALERT: James Levine was fired Monday night by the Metropolitan Opera for sexual abuse.
Here is a link to a story in The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/arts/music/james-levine-metropolitan-opera.html
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has been asked to post the following announcement:
“Pulcinella Re-Imagined: An Evening of Music by Mr. Chair” will be performed at The Mineral Point Opera House this Friday night at 7 p.m.
The Opera House is located at 139 High St. in Mineral Point.
Based in Madison, Mr. Chair (below, in a photo by Ryan Gilman) is a multi-genre group that plays a mix of rock, jazz, modern classical and improv-based styles.
This show will feature an arrangement of Igor Stravinsky‘s “Pulcinella” ballet as well as original music. It features beautiful, hip and surreal textures from whispering lyricism to thunderous wails in a gorgeous, historic theater. (You can hear the original version of “Pulcinella” in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Members of the groups are UW-Madison professor Mark Hetzler on trombone, electronics; Jason Kutz on piano/keyboards; Ben Ferris on basses; and Michael Koszewski on drums
The concert will feature a special appearance by dancer/choreographer Amy Ryerson (below top) and narration by Buzz Kemper (below bottom).
Tickets can be purchased at the door or through BrownPaperTickets at https://m.bpt.me/event/3341686
Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for students and under 12 (at the door)
The program includes:
- “Mile of Ledges” 2. “Correction” 3. “Freed” 4. Three Views of Infinity, Mangalore to Bangalore Express”
Intermission
“Pulcinella”
Tags: #IgorStravinsky, #JamesLevine, #JazzMusic, #MetropolitanOpera, #MineralPoint, #MineralPointOperaHouse, #MrChair, #NewYorkCity, #RockMusic, #SexAbuse, #SexualAbuse, #TheNewYorkTImes, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, Arts, ballet, Baroque, beauitufl, Chamber music, choroegrapher, Classical music, composer, conductor, dance, dancer, director, fired, Friday, genre, hip, historic, Igor Stravinsky, infinity, Jacob Stockinger, James Levine, Jazz, lyricism, Madison, Metropolitan Opera, modern, Music, narrator, New York City, New York Times, Orchestra, Peter Gelb, Piano, Pulcinella, sexual abuse, style, Suite, surreal, symphony, texture, the Met, The New York Times, theater, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, view, wail, Wisconsin, YouTube
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