Not too long ago, I read that a new production of Puccini’s opera Tosca was booed at the Met. Naturally, I had to run to a performance to make sure to find out what the commotion was all about…the People were reacting pretty negatively to a new interpretation, to a new representation of a very popular opera. Artistic choices aside, I find it is fascinating how a representation of a work can become so emblematic that an audience may be so resistant to any change in "vision"...
...With this slightly off-kilter anecdote in mind, a certain contrast during rehearsal the other night. Emily's piece is a work that weaves together beloved songs of many cultures, some of whom have experienced conflict between them, and joins them to create a new resonance in people's ears, in their minds. And we're part of such a powerful musical moment of ever-open horizons!