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Die Entfuehrung aus dem Serail, Komische Oper Berlin
I've been thinking over my opinion on this staging, which was first done in 2004 to great scandal and critical division, since I saw it last night. I still don't know how I feel about it.
The opera itself, being by Mozart, was beautiful, and the cast was very talented. Konstanze, the soprano, had a wonderful voice and went through the arias like child's play (though all good opera singers make it look easy).
BUT. The setting was very modern. The seraglio (harem) was turned into a brothel, which, sure, OK, but there was a strong theme of non-consent (which, admittedly, was somewhat there in the original: Bassa Selim abducted Belmont's girlfriend and wanted to put her in his harem; however, it wasn't to anything NEAR that extent.) And people walked around in underwear or were naked. Men and women both. The lead bass (Osmin) had an entire song in which he was stark naked. (Nudity isn't that big a deal here.)
The issues surrounding consent made me uncomfortable. (Consent is very important to me.) But the director didn't want this to be a comfortable setting, so that definitely worked. It looks into the criminality associated with prostitution, and the nasty types of guys who work as pimps, and busts the crap out of the myth of the happy hooker.
I enjoyed the music very much; some aspects of the staging bothered me. It distracted a bit from my enjoyment of the music for itself, because I kept thinking about what was going on on stage. So the director's goal was achieved I guess. I just wish it hadn't been so damned bloody. (It's an opera buffa, a comedy. They all live happily ever after, not die.)
The opera itself, being by Mozart, was beautiful, and the cast was very talented. Konstanze, the soprano, had a wonderful voice and went through the arias like child's play (though all good opera singers make it look easy).
BUT. The setting was very modern. The seraglio (harem) was turned into a brothel, which, sure, OK, but there was a strong theme of non-consent (which, admittedly, was somewhat there in the original: Bassa Selim abducted Belmont's girlfriend and wanted to put her in his harem; however, it wasn't to anything NEAR that extent.) And people walked around in underwear or were naked. Men and women both. The lead bass (Osmin) had an entire song in which he was stark naked. (Nudity isn't that big a deal here.)
The issues surrounding consent made me uncomfortable. (Consent is very important to me.) But the director didn't want this to be a comfortable setting, so that definitely worked. It looks into the criminality associated with prostitution, and the nasty types of guys who work as pimps, and busts the crap out of the myth of the happy hooker.
I enjoyed the music very much; some aspects of the staging bothered me. It distracted a bit from my enjoyment of the music for itself, because I kept thinking about what was going on on stage. So the director's goal was achieved I guess. I just wish it hadn't been so damned bloody. (It's an opera buffa, a comedy. They all live happily ever after, not die.)