From its birth in renaissance Florence, opera has moved audiences, explored human emotions and experiences from a variety of angles, and encompassed a huge range of musical styles and ideas. Opera came to dominate much of Western music, created heated public debate, served as a medium for political commentary, and constantly searched for new ways to move or persuade its audiences. Yet despite opera’s historical importance and rich heritage, has it reached the end of its journey in the 21st century? With opera houses closing and audience attendance plunging, some critics question opera’s relevance in today’s society and foresee its ultimate demise. To quote Huffington Post reporter, Christopher Ingraham, “Falling album sales and a rash of orchestra
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The Metropolitan Opera in particular represents this trend. Since its opening in 1880, the Metropolitan Opera House has documented performances of 330 different opera titles. Of these operas, only 20% were premiered in 1980 or later. In fact, 70% of the Opera House’s repertoire was premiered before the 1940s. In addition, the opera company’s top 20 most performed works, such as La Boehme, Aida, La Traviata, and Madama Butterfly, were all written at least 100 years ago. This data illustrates a general trend favoring the production of older, traditional operas rather than contemporary ones. To quote American Opera Project’s General Manager, Charles Jarden, “ ‘Commission’ can still be a dirty word in the industry. Even at big opera houses…the pressure of doing a main-stage production is always going to trump development work.” Even as opera companies, such as American Opera Projects, the American Lyric Theater, and even the Metropolitan Opera House, work to commission new works, few contemporary operas survive beyond their premiere. According to a 2015 study led by Opera America, of the 589 operas premiered in the last 20 years, only 11% of them were performed again. The reluctance of companies to perform new works, coupled with the inability of contemporary operas to survive past their premiere, has caused opera to become stagnant. Without new growth or development, opera is struggling to maintain its relevancy and hitting a
The Metropolitan Opera in particular represents this trend. Since its opening in 1880, the Metropolitan Opera House has documented performances of 330 different opera titles. Of these operas, only 20% were premiered in 1980 or later. In fact, 70% of the Opera House’s repertoire was premiered before the 1940s. In addition, the opera company’s top 20 most performed works, such as La Boehme, Aida, La Traviata, and Madama Butterfly, were all written at least 100 years ago. This data illustrates a general trend favoring the production of older, traditional operas rather than contemporary ones. To quote American Opera Project’s General Manager, Charles Jarden, “ ‘Commission’ can still be a dirty word in the industry. Even at big opera houses…the pressure of doing a main-stage production is always going to trump development work.” Even as opera companies, such as American Opera Projects, the American Lyric Theater, and even the Metropolitan Opera House, work to commission new works, few contemporary operas survive beyond their premiere. According to a 2015 study led by Opera America, of the 589 operas premiered in the last 20 years, only 11% of them were performed again. The reluctance of companies to perform new works, coupled with the inability of contemporary operas to survive past their premiere, has caused opera to become stagnant. Without new growth or development, opera is struggling to maintain its relevancy and hitting a