The Death of Klinghoffer

[Guest]

The ENO's decision to stage John Adams's opera about the terrorist hijacking of Achille Lauro has cooked up a storm according to this Telegraph article

The Lady Rubbers and I have tickets for the opening night this Saturday, and have an overwhelming apprehension that we shall be heading into the eye of the hurricane. If we manage to run the gauntlet of the inevitable protests outside, I don't rule out a repeat of the auditorium scenes that so marred the appearance of the Israel PO at last years Proms (albeit that was an Arab protest).

Is anyone else going? (Quite a few tickets left when I last checked...)

[Flosshilde]

Scottish Opera did it a few years ago at the Edinburgh Festival - some mutterings in the press, but no disturbances during the performances that Ican recall. Well worth seeing.

I was slightly irritated with the Guardian when it had an article on the ENO production, ignoring the fact that SO had put on the first professional production in the UK.

[Bryn]

... (albeit that was an Arab protest).

It may have been led by supporters of the Palestinian cause but "an Arab protest"? I seem to recall quite a few Jewish opponents of Israeli government actions supported it.

[rubbernecker]

It may have been led by supporters of the Palestinian cause but "an Arab protest"? I seem to recall quite a few Jewish opponents of Israeli government actions supported it.

Fair enough, I was a bit glib there. And quite a few Palestinians play in the Israel PO too, it should also be remembered.

Anyway, we'll leave the hard hats at home on Saturday.

[bluestateprommer]

Found one newspaper review of The Death of Klinghoffer, from Andrew Clements in The Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/feb/26/death-of-klinghoffer-review

Also saw Jessica Duchen's blog post review:

http://jessicamusic.blogspot.com/2012/02/klinghoffer-rings-clings-and-clangs.html

JD also had this article prior to the first night in The Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/fear-and-loathing-in-london-the-death-of-klinghoffer-is-staged-in-the-capital-for-the-first-time-6671388.html

So according to Clements and Duchen, the protests consisted of one person. The real challenge will be the eventual production at the Metropolitan Opera down the line. I don't know if Peter Gelb would dare to HD-cast Klinghoffer, but he may well, given that Doctor Atomic and Nixon in China have each been HD-cast.

[bluestateprommer]

Just found this audio clip from Music Matters, archived to a separate site, with Tom Service talking with Alice Goodman, John Adams, Tom Morris and Baldur Brönnimann:

http://soundcloud.com/bbcradio3/john-adams-klinghoffer

[bluestateprommer]

One of a number of articles about the pending premiere of The Death of Klinghoffer at the Metropolitan Opera, and the best I've seen yet:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/19/arts/music/the-death-of-klinghoffer-at-the-metropolitan-opera.html

Of course, given the huge controversy, one wonders what will actually happen on the day of the performance itself. It seems to be an all-too-American (especially right-wing American) brand of know-nothingness that so many of the protesters, in particular the most vehement protesters, have not heard a recording, watched the Penny Woolcock video, or actually bothered to study the work at all.