Posted on 10/30/2023 8:18:00 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
In October 2023, an official responsible for programming at North Carolina public radio station WCPE rejected broadcasting several operas being produced this season at the New York Metropolitan Opera. An article, now scrubbed from the net, entitled “North Carolina Public Radio Station Rejects Contemporary Operas” explains that the programmer cited her Christian faith and viewpoint that the operas are vulgar and inappropriate for children as reasons for declining to broadcast them.
The viewpoint intolerance and anti-Christian cultural fascism of NPR and institutions such as the N.Y. Met are fanatical. It was intolerable that a single dissident public radio station would be allowed to decline to broadcast opera believed to be disrespectful to the Bible.
There was a firestorm of outrage against the station official, and her decision was quickly reversed. From a National Public Radio (NPR) article:
WCPE’s protest came at a time when the Metropolitan Opera is eager to showcase its commitment to recently written operas and works from outside the traditional canon of music written by white men. Three of the operas that WCPE planned to reject in the 2023-24 season were written by Black or Mexican composers. This past April, WCPE also refused to broadcast another Met-produced opera written by a Black composer that included LGBTQ themes.
This victory lap paragraph encapsulates the cultural ignorance, bigotry, and stupidity of the progressive mind and why NPR should not get a penny of taxpayer money.
The first point of ignorance is that race and sexuality are “contemporary” themes. Race and sexuality are the oldest hats on the rack of American culture. These political fixations have been choking the life out of American art and culture for fifty years. Consider the so-called smash hit Hamilton. Its initial casting call was pure racism — no whites could try out.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
I didn’t see “Hamilton” but I thought “The Room Where it Happens “ was catchy
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zwfNRzCXsug&pp=ygUZVGhlIHJvb20gd2hlcmUgaXQgaGFwcGVucw%3D%3D
“I’m gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the whities I seeeeeee....”
Definitely not for children 😆😝
I didn’t exaggerate! ;-)
But I didn’t sugar coat it either. LOL.
Probably the two most common gateway operas for kids are The Barber of Seville and Hansel and Gretel, the latter being specifically kid-themed.
I’d argue that both are way too long for children.
My pick would be The Magic Flute.
That said we took our boys and their cousins to Eugene Onegin when they were all 10-16 and they seemed to like it (despite the subject matter.)
Try “The Little Sweep” by Benjamin Britten.
I listen to wcpe all the time.
I am shocked that such a sophisticated station with such a great library has supported this??
There was a firestorm of outrage against the station official, and her decision was quickly reversed.
I’ll have to check it out. I don’t like all Britten but Billy Budd is incredibly moving.
Speaking of Mozart, he composed some really raunchy song pieces.
I was tiny when I saw HANSEL AND GRETEL and had been listening to LIVE FROM THE MET since babyhood.My favorite opera, when I was 3 and some was CARMEN. Okay, that was on the radio; however, my parents did G&S semi-professionally, and I was taken to see the shows from the time I was bitty.
I love G&S! Year ago we were in London with two of our sons. At the Barbican a company had bought the Mikado sets used in the movie Topsy Turvy (which I recommend.) It was a great show.
The one thing I’ve never seen live is an Offenbach operetta, but I hope to do so one day. I LOVE La Belle Helene.
I came to opera much later than you, in college.
I even went to rehearsals as a baby. LOL
In 1949, my parents troop performed THE MIKADO on NBC and it was the FIRST full length G&S operetta EVER done on American T.V.!
As a very small child, I was taken to see the D'Oyly Carte Opera company's full tour, in NYC.
I LOVE TOPSY TURVY and have a disc of it. It was the last movie I've seen in a theatre. LOL
Before T&T, The Brits made THE STORY OF GILBERT & SULLIVAN, IN 1952/3, to commemorated the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and showcase Brit "culture" to the world. This is a FANTASTIC movie and contains snips of almost all of their operettas. Do try to see it.
Sadly, by the time I got back t6o London, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was on its last legs, not doing many shows ( none any of the times I was there ) and then closed its operations for good and all. That broke my heart!
But on a happier note, we DID stay at THE SAVOY and saw a few shows at THE SAVOY THEATRE...the home of G&S.
Yes, I am an admitted rabid SAVOYARD! :-)
Re Offenbach...my favorite work of his is THE TALES OF HOFFMAN.
fascinating, I had no idea The Shining was an opera!!!!
There are also the English ones but while they do fine operettas their operas are not as good.
I think it was last year that it was pointed out NPR hires less than 200 employees.
You would think with the influence they have, it would be 10,000.
Yes, the English were exemplary re operettas; however, their operas aren't much good at all.
Oh yes, the Magic Flute is sublime.
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