No Doubt I have to take this one more time
Over the last years I have come to love Opera Atelier and have already bought my tickets to their two productions in the coming season. Today I had to suffer their sending me a mailing - I have no idea why.It includes the following description of "Armide" which is to be performed in the fall :
"This opera has an extraordinary resonance for the 21st century in that it deals with the Conflict between the Christian world ... and its belief in the Muslim world ... as "the axis of evil".Hmmm. They seem oddly confused about North Korea. News to me about the Islamic connection. Moreover, one could argue that Iraq is becoming more Islamic after the war. One of the few defences I have ever heard of Saddam is that he was 'secular' (when he was whatever kept him in charge).
On the other hand, they are not so far off, though perhaps in ways they don't get. I would be surprised if the person who wrote those notes realized the blood spilled as Islam spread from the 7th century on to achieve the peak of its control in the Middle East and Europe (not a pretty story). My pure guess is the notes writer thinks it spread as peacefully as Christianity did in its first five centuries, and probably cannot imagine that maybe the Crusaders had a point about trying to restore things to how they had been. Not to say they did much of a job.
My sad guess is I need to sit through one more of these ill-informed lectures (we got one last year from the artistic director who clearly knew nothing, advertising the show to come this year) just before watching what will surely be a wonderful performance of the opera. Thank heavens their performances are so good I can tolerate this stuff.
Why do they feel the need to engage is this idiocy? It does not cross my mind when trying to sell the products I know about to invent fairy stories full of pseudo-history. I would rather the customer took it on his own terms. Maybe in Canada this nonsense has some resonance. Sad if true.
posted by Alan Adamson @ 3:50 PM
2 Comments:
Didn't you confront them on the phone about that?
I think maybe I bugged one of their telemarketers about it. But their shows are SO good that none of this would inhibit me from buying tickets.
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