OPERA PRODUCTION CANCELED BY LA SCALA.
"Silvio nudo? (Referring to Silvio Berlusconi of course)," begins the
La Stampa article. "Non si farà La Scala cancella il «Candide» dello scandalo."
A Canadian web-paper leads with:
La Scala cancels show depicting Bush, Blair, Putin, Berlusconi dancing in underwear. (Could be bathing suits, actually. See photo
here.)
According to the news, La Scala (whose website would not have changed in 200 years, had there been websites back then -
it's grand), arguably the most famous opera house in the world, has cancelled a production of Bernstein's "Candide", scheduled for the summer, that includes a scene with actors dancing in underwear while wearing masks of world leaders including President Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, former Italian premier, Silvio Berlusconi, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and the very French President, Jacques Chirac.
Score 10 EQ points if you read "that includes" and did not INVENT "because it includes".
In fact, the production is currently playing just fine at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, where it was viewed by La Scala artistic director Stephane Lissner. La Scala has issued the statement that the production "was not in line with La
Scala's artistic program." It did not elaborate.
10 EQ points awarded to La Scala. 10 to the media cited for not elaborating. And 10 to you if you do not elaborate in your own head.
In re: the bathing suit (or underwear) scene, La Scala spokesman Carlo Maria Cella said Friday the scene "was only part of the problem, and a small part."
Cella went on to say that Carsen's production had greatly modified Bernstein's original work.
"It is not a value judgment. Carsen is a wonderful director who's made beautiful shows," said Cella, speaking from his Milan office. "It is an issue of compatibility with La Scala's program."
10 more EQ points to La Scala.
Why? Because Carsen has done other things, it isn't Bernstein's fault ... and then, too, there's Voltaire. And the general class of La Scala just dictates decorum...restraint. It Italy it's called rispetto. There are some big names involved (Bernstein, Voltaire, Carsen) and they model respect (though in Italian the term means more than the US "respect" ... it's cultural, more "decorum" as well) ... such as is NOT shown to Putin, Bush, Berlusconi et al in the opera.
Bernstein's "Candide" is of course from Voltaire's satire against eternal optimism.
We asked John Alifano, Honorary Chairman of
Club Vivo Per Lei to comment. He replied: "I love anything Bernstein wrote." You see the same
rispetto there, as well. The same emotional intelligence here: a fine discernment about what's going on. We are talking about one particular production by a man (not all of his work); it involves the work of a man who had no part in the changes; and that piece of work, in turn, is based on the work of one of the great literary figures in history.
EQ would dictate that media hype be avoided, and one need not say more than the essentials. In other words, on the front end, don't elaborate, and on the receiving end, don't take the bait.
Dr. Alifano adds: "...[W]hen I bought my Baldwin 7ft grand it was tuned by a man named George Krippenstappel. Took him 4 hours sitting there in my family room. I thought he'd never finish, so perfect was his ear to the tones and voicing generated by my newly-purchased (from the Boston Symphony Orch.) pride and joy.
"FINALLY he got up and said..'Sorry it took so long, Dr Alifano...but that's the way Lenny would have liked it.' I said, 'Who's Lenny?' He looked me straight in my eyes and said, 'I tune the pianos all over the world for Leonard Bernstein...that'll be $500 please.' I gladly paid it."
To win EQ points, read with discernment. Think with your head. Keep your emotions (or theirs) (or the chance to get some attention) out if it, when it is appropriate to do so.
On the other hand, if you go to the opera at La Scala, THAT is an EMOTIONAL experience. That's what "bravo" is all about.
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PHOTO: GNU Free Documentation License, wikipedia.com. It is believed that the interior is fair use doctrine according to US copyright law, as illustrative and educational purposes.
