The state of the Angst

Much ink has been spilled about The Future Of Opera...at least in Berlin. Nobody really cares anywhere else. Do you? But here in Berlin it is a hot topic of discussion - along with the future of books, the nature of art, the future of art, the future of German art....the future of German books...do you see a pattern? Do you care? Exactly.

I care. Of course I care. But I don't like to talk about it, because I feel that when it comes to art, those who can't do, talk. And so I guess that means I am talentless because I am writing a blog about art or something. Shit. Oh who am I kidding - I don't talk about it because I hate being told I'm wrong.

So rather than go into an informed discussion about the state of the Western World's most esoteric and expensive art form, I will merely describe some of the things that I have seen and let you come to your own conclusions.

Last Saturday night I went to the German State Opera - a veritable temple of culture, which is, incidentally, right beside the Bebelplatz where the Nazis burned books. Charming. I went to see Mozart's great opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio". It is set in 18th century Turkey and is, like most opera, misogynist, elitist, class-ist and Eurocentric (thanks mom - for teaching me those big words). It is also a great deal of fun, and contains some of the best music Mozart ever wrote.

In this opera, the antagonist - Pasha Selim, is a despotic character and the keeper of a harem. However, in the end, he ends up being a decent man and sets everyone free, whereupon there is much rejoicing. In this production, he was Hitler...Hitler in a white dress and gold make-up, but unmistakably Hitler. Of course, this was a brilliant conceit on the part of the director, because no matter how bad the production was (and it was bad) the audience would not dare show its displeasure at an unfavorable portrayal of Die Fuhrer! And so they applauded wildly - mostly out of guilt, it would seem.

Bassa Selim's enforcer, Osmin, is a much more ruthless character. He was dressed in a track suit. It was his job to keep the prisoners in line. In a German opera production that means that he rapes them. The protagonists (two English nobles) are in love and haven't seen each other in a while, because Konstanze is a prisoner of Pasha Selim, and Belmote trying to rescue her. When they do see each other, they do not hug or kiss or say hello...they simulate anal sex....duh.

Hitler...rape...anal sex. In Germany? Really? What a surprise. So original.

The next day I saw an atonal opera about the history of communism. But do you care?

Exactly.