To: "VOCALIST" <vocalist>
Subject: Was: Opera/Classical music too expensive? Now: Central Park
Date sent: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 11:50:47 -0500
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

This is a bit off-topic but so funny I had to share it!

Last night on PBS they showed the performance of Central Park, a new opera triptych - I missed most of it because I was teaching, but my toddlers were watching it.

What cracked me up was that whoever produced this for television felt that a contemporary opera, sung in English REQUIRED SUBTITLES!!!!!!! English subtitles! Did I mention that the opera was written and sung in English?

There were already captions provided for the hearing impaired so I don't believe that was their intention.

It seems someone thinks appreciating and even just understanding the words to an opera is beyond the ability of even those who would choose to watch Great Performances on Opera Night.

Susi is completely right - we need to get good music back into the curriculum so when we grow up, we don't perceive it as so foreign a language that it requires subtitles.

Laura
Susi wrote:
Add South Africa to the list.
Perhaps this comes as a result of taking music out of the school
curriculum? Time to re-educate audiences and to remind them that
"classical" music is for the masses.