As Joseph Volpe prepares to step down from the helm of the Metropolitan Opera, a glance at this weekend’s gala celebration of his tenure can tell a lot about the state of modern opera. “It’s interesting that Mr. Volpe’s gala, celebrating a nearly 16-year reign that is being bruited as one of the Met’s most illustrious, is focused so firmly on the present… Career development is not a high priority in today’s opera world. What is a priority is finding the latest stars and getting them up in front of the public, in as many places as possible, and in as many attractive roles as possible, regardless of how well suited they happen to be to a particular role.”
Tag: 05.18.06
The Sin of Omission
Musician and rock critic Stephin Merritt has lately become a target of several of his fellow critics, who have branded him a racist. Merritt’s crime? Making a list of his favorite songs that included no black artists, disliking modern hip-hop, and saying that he liked the song, “Zip A Dee Doo Dah.” The flame war has ignited a debate over the line between musical taste and the wider culture. Or as one writer put it, “If the number of black artists in your iPod falls too far below 12.5 percent of the total, then you are violating someone’s civil rights.”
The Politics of Privacy
The debate over privacy vs. security has been raging in Washington and across the country recently, thanks to the controversial surveillance tactics being used by the Bush Administration. But in such a globally connected world, what is privacy, anyway, and can we really afford it? Bruce Schneier says the issue is far simpler than many people make it sound, and the obvious conclusion is that we can’t afford not to make privacy a priority. “We are not deliberately hiding anything when we seek out private places for reflection or conversation. We keep private journals, sing in the privacy of the shower, and write letters to secret lovers and then burn them. Privacy is a basic human need.”