“On Sept. 23, in the latest blow from the crisis, the Metropolitan Opera announced that the cancellation would extend to its entire 2020-21 season,” writes Anthony Tommasini in Tuesday’s (9/29) New York Times. “It’s hard to see how the New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall and other musical organizations—not to mention Broadway theaters—can open their doors safely any time sooner. To his credit, [Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter] Gelb … has realized that if the Met is going to rise again after the virus subsides, it must do things differently, to prove itself more essential than ever. The work it presents must matter.… Relieved from the demands of daily performances, the Met—like the nation’s other arts institutions—must take time to think about its place within larger societal currents, especially the roiling issues of racial injustice and police brutality that have inspired nationwide demonstrations. Black classical artists and administrators have spoken out powerfully about systemic discrimination within the field. To that end, the ambitious 2021-22 season Mr. Gelb unveiled … seeks to address multiple oversights in the Met’s history…. Other American opera companies and orchestras [could] to use this time to think about—and rethink—their offerings.”
Change font size
