As Gustav Mahler remarked, “If a composer could say what he had to say in words, he would not bother trying to say it in music,” listeners could find themselves in a difficult position. Undoubtedly, classical music, and more narrowly, opera is a transient musical form, ancient in it’s history, and unique in it’s presentation. Today, some American Opera houses find themselves in precarious positions dealing with dwindling resources, waning patron bases, and a shifting dynamic of the psyche of American citizens because of uncertain economic times. Knowing that strong societies adapt to changing tides and difficult situations, the United States, or for that matter, any nation, are posed with questions of how to move forward effectively. For today’s entry in this new blog, I’d like to present the first in a series of major discussions about how to move opera in America forward in the spirit of positivity and constructivism with an eye towards the future.

Should opera be presented in English to adapt to changing times, attitudes, and would the spirit of the music live on in it’s entirety?

There is precedent for Opera being presented in it’s original language, all the time. Many composers have built their unique masterpieces around a definitive libretto and if translated into another language would be unsuitable to the music and thus not live up to the intentions of the composer. Take Francescso Maria Piave and Giuseppe Verdi and consider the intense amount of time the two took to come together to build, what many deem the greatest opera ever written, Rigoletto. Letters back and forth for months over single words, discussions of major phrases and their necessity, and the composer’s desire to frame the words through music perfect enough for us as listeners to be able to hum the music at night to sleep. The intricacies of text and syntax alone justify never changing to a different language in order to preserve the intentions of the composer and stay true to the art form. Some composers would have turned over in their grave knowing that opera was being produced in languages other than what they intended. Thus, knowing all of this should suggest that opera must remain resolute to it’s roots and stay original to it’s form. This is a worthy argument and one that is more than acceptable.

Yet, knowing the situation we face as Americans, knowing the emphasis that classical music has and should have in civil society, and knowing full well that moving forward with social trends can lead to a rejuvenated culture of music makes us wonder if presenting opera in our native tongue of English is warranted. Consider the benefits.

The English language is the first language for a large majority of Americans and is the preferred second language for citizens around the world. As performers and representatives of the music, we have the responsibility to enlighten the public to the joys of the wonderful works we sing and present. And being that any language other than English can be a barrier for attendance for many potential opera or theater-goers makes one wonder if presenting opera in English could broaden the appeal of the art form. Forty to Sixty years ago, there was a mild standard for presenting major operatic pieces in English and in the original intended language. Bohemes, Cosi Fan Tuttes, Marriage of Figaros and others were all presented in both English and Italian at the Metropolitan Opera and elsewhere (The Royal Opera House was noted for presenting many operas in English even in the times of Callas). Today still, certain major opera companies around the world produce opera in the native language of their country for the benefit of the listener. English National Opera, where I’ve had the great joy of performing some wonderful roles, is the most prominent opera company in the world to present opera in English with productions that have had great acclaim and success. The audiences are equally grateful for this type of presentation in my experience. Yet outside of ENO and a few American theaters, one is hard pressed to find opera companies that present opera in English. Moreover, presenting opera in English allows an American audience to be more engaged than if they were listening to Italian or French (even with super titles).
Hence, in a society that is looking for a way to renewed prosperity through a new base of patrons and participants, an initial question has to be: can any specific operatic performance have the same efficacy and live up to it’s original standards even if produced other than in it’s original language. This is an open debate and one that I will not offer an opinion on but rather open to you, the readers and participants at my new website to discuss.