classical rekkids doomed?

[David Hearne]

>IT AIN'T OVER
>UNTIL THE TALL, THIN BLONDE
>WITH THE HIGH CHEEKBONES
>AND THAT VANITY FAIR LOOK
>HAS SUNG
>
>OPERA NEWS: It's no longer enough to have a sexy, romantic voice,
filled
>with artistry and musical allure. The visual criteria in opera have
become
>almost as stringent as those of musical theater. Rare voice types,
such as
>dramatic sopranos and Verdi mezzos, are allowed some leeway and some
girth.
>But if you're a lyric mezzo or a Mozart baritone, you'd better hire a
>trainer, and fast.

Is this necessarily a bad thing? Shouldn't the handsome prince from
"The Magic Flute" look handsome? Shouldn't a visual production of an
opera have the same care as any stage play? Most of the opera
productions I've seen on television tend to look equally bloated in
terms of physical frames and staging. It says something that a
stinking hack like Boz Luhrmann can create a production of "La Boheme"
which looks refreshingly fluid and attractive in comparison.

Of course, it would be a shame if the opera world constrained its
notions of beauty to the "Vanity Fair" look. And Charlotte Church is
pure annoyance.

    -- David