For starters, Madrid is one of those cities that harkens a different era. For all intents and purposes, this is a good thing. The cobble stoned roads that give pathway to a city not designed on a grid but rather a wild web, immediately gives one the feeling of the past. With windows flooded with colorful flowers, different colors shading ever consecutive buildings, and mainly terra cotta roof lines, it would be shocking for someone not to be awe-inspired by the architectural and inherent beauty of this city. Seeing all of this had made me think of what this city possibly could have been like 20 years ago, 50 years ago, 100 years ago and so on. We live in such a fast moving society, with technology often glued to our finger tips that often the sense of respect and admiration for the many wonders that we take in and witness are lost as they are now simply in eye’s sight but out of mind. I wake up in the morning and often I’m caught brushing my teeth and texting on my iphone at the same time. I run up the street, grab a coffee, text and email more, and sometimes forget about where I am because I’m focused on the day’s tasks at hand. Madrid had General Franco as their leader 50 years ago, leading an aggressive “values” based society that suppressed opposition at horrific costs and in most instances, undereducated and propagandized its youth. Yet one could easily argue that even in that suppression of ideas, people and in particular, children had their sense of innocence far more than they do today.

Innocence is what has been lost in a fast moving, technocratic society. In innocence is simplicity. A short fifteen years ago, less than half of America was using the internet regularly; 20 years ago, less than 20%. The personal computer didn’t really take wings until the mid-80’s; imagine having to perfectly type a 2000 word document on a typewriter, hoping not to make any horrible mistakes at word 1984. The ease of use of electronics, the way that people communicated between each other, even the cars that were driven, were simpler and easier. Children didn’t have the burdens of easy to view internet pornography or even violent computer video games; they were playing baseball in the yard, bicycling all around, reading, practicing the piano. Talking on the telephone 20 years ago was far more privilege than it is today. When I was 12, my mom would yell at me if I was on the phone for more than 15 minutes with a friend and not studying and thank GOD she did. Nintendo didn’t even come into the house until I was 17 and by then, I didn’t care. All of this is not to say that kids don’t bike around town, play ball, or do their homework. They do, but the dynamic of the social structure we live in today lends itself to fast, massive communication that limits all of our abilities to do the simpler things, where time constraints were once different.

This realization of innocence lost over time has made me think of how we could give back some of that innocence to ourselves, in some measure. There are some great moments that I’ve had in the last few years that don’t even pertain to technology so much as they pertain to the yearning for the past. When I’m asked to go to an Italian restaurant in any place other than North Jersey or New York City or in Italy, I pass. I’m pretty stalwart in this. People always seem miffed when I say I won’t do it. But, there’s something special about my mom’s eggplant parmigiano, her spaghetti, meatballs, and gravy or my grandma’s manicotti and her roasted peppers. No one makes them better. No one. Period. They are the best in the world. The idea of eating someone else’s is simply unfathomable, and so on the very rare occasion, when I do, after I’m done, I feel like I’ve violated one of the highest trusts known to man. There’s no better bread in the world than at Vito’s Deli in Hoboken, NJ. Eating bread everywhere else doesn’t touch it. (I don’t eat that much bread, you health watchers you). The sense of nostalgia for time passed is a reason why TV Land on cable television is so popular; adults and young adults want to see the hysterical I LOVE LUCY programs over and over again because they are HYSTERICAL, they have a humor that is addictive, and yet not the in your face, often obvious and crude humor that we witness on TV today. Why is it that going to the opera, once an event with which people paid immense respect by dressing up to the nine’s, now feel it OK to come dressed in a nice shirt and jeans? It’s in this desire to be connected with a great artistic tradition-where we as a society merge. Unfortunately, today people are less willing to take the time to absorb greatness. However, longing for an artistic experience is not sufficient; the viewer has to be willing to commit to the time in order for them to live through the experience.

For all the technological advances that we have had as a society in the last 20 years, taking time to smell the roses doesn’t exist like it once did. People are always expected to be connected to something; a handheld device, a personal computer, wifi, to name a few. Rapid response to emails is nearly mandatory now lest we offend or upset the sender of such email. Music, which once was produced and disseminated on records, now is downloadable in seconds from a computer, often with over digitized sound quality that wasn’t so in years past. This creation of a new ethos has actually added a burden on society to deliver work effectively at rapid speeds with the equally difficult burden of high quality. Yet we wonder why quality of so much of our social system has deteriorated, especially in the last 15 years. People don’t have the time give hyper thought to the words they write or the products they produce in order to stay competitive and in business. And all that this has done has hit hard at the quality of patience that people have for one another. Think about how families early in the last century that would migrate to the United States, often sending one or two children from a family of four at a time. Surely, a separated family was distressing and difficult. But what the long stretches in time did for families was give them a deep love and appreciation for each other just for the simple fact that they were finally together. Today, newly commissioned plays are far shorter in deference to an audience that often is more time conscious than they once were. Four act operas that often used three intervals, use two or even one. New commissions are rarely over three hours. Don Carlo anyone? It all brings me to the question of what if there is a way for us to be able to “smell the roses” more often and still be part of a fast moving society?

The past can give us insight in how to build a better future. Technological advancements will continue to move society in a faster, progressive way and that’s fine. But what we should acknowledge is that taking time to savor the important moments in life help shape who we are as human beings and what we can do to make society even bolder and more cohesive. Opera companies can present forward looking pieces of majestic music with productions that give the public a sense of the past with a presentation that is adaptable to the times we live in now. Operatic productions that stray from the intent of the composer and librettist arguably could be why audience participation has waned and is struggling. In my view, the public want to be a part of a performance that empowers them to feel like they are apart of the splendor of what once was…it’s why our form of art, opera, has existed for so long. Society wants to be a part of it, they yearn for the grandeur, the sense of time, the sense of space, and want to savor in the moments for which they proudly show up to the theater. There’s a way to do it right, in a modern era, which puts a foot forward yet keeps a foot in the past. One wonderful example I can use of this was the Jonathon Miller production of Rigoletto I performed at English National Opera. The production was set in Little Italy in the 1950’s. It was grand, it was beautiful, and it was memorable. It wasn’t a production that was set in the period it was meant to be performed but it respected what the composer and librettist intended (foot in the future, foot in the past). It was a great honor to work at ENO on that project. The production lasted for 28 years at ENO with a public that adored it for all of those 28 years because it did what it was meant to do; allow people to transcend back into a time that they witnessed in the past, live and breathe with the artists on stage, and leave the theater thrilled to be a part of the experience.

The topic of nostalgia and innocence can go on for hours and hours. But the one thing I’ve come away with is that taking the time to cherish the great moments and enjoy the joys of life that God has given us without being in a hurry to answer the phone give us a greater sense of respect for what we have, who we know, and above all, what was here before us or what existed in years past. If we focus on this as a society, knowing full well that our iphones are ablaze with texts and email boxes filled with messages, we can move forward with the times and grow as a society in tandem. Respect and acknowledgement of the past can go a long way to Re-igniting America’s Promise and moving society forward around the world.