Met Opera Suspends James Levine

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fountainhall

Re: Met Opera Suspends James Levine

Post by fountainhall »

Someone suggested that if the first ones to go were The Bible, the Koran and the Torah, the world would be a better place today.
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Re: Met Opera Suspends James Levine

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fountainhall wrote:Someone suggested that if the first ones to go were The Bible, the Koran and the Torah, the world would be a better place today.
I second the motion . . .
fountainhall

Re: Met Opera Suspends James Levine

Post by fountainhall »

The Metropolitan Opera is back in the news again on sexual misconduct issues. But this time its firing of an opera director for a "sexually charged" remark has rebounded. It illustrates the atmosphere of fear now prevalent in many arts and other institutions in the US which are going to what seem to be ridiculous lengths to avoid any form of bad PR.

In this case, the Met had hired the distinguished English opera director, John Copley, to revive his 1990 production of a Rossini opera. Mr Copley is now 84 and has worked worldwide with major success. He is also gay. For 50 years he had a partner who died a few years ago. The top people at the Met knew perfectly well his manner at rehearsals is often camp with occasional sexual innuendos usually, it appears, to reduce tensions. It appears he made a sexual reference with a twinkle in his eye to a chorister that was just another example of campery. This man is not a native English-speaker, took offence and said he could not continue to rehearse with Mr. Copley. That blew up into a scandal as the Met's General Manager then fired Mr.Copley.

Many top international singers and managers have come to Copley's defence. Even the other chorus members and the official Union acting for singers at the Met were shocked at the firing. When they were told by their Union official that it would be making representations to the management for wrongful dismissal, all the chorus members (I assume, bar one) cheered.

The exact comment made as Copley was directing a scene for chorus is different depending on which source you read. The New York Times states it was "I’m thinking of you in my bed with your clothes off.” Others claim the reference was made about another cast member not present in an effort to get the choristers to show shock (the men) and lust (the ladies). What is the world coming to?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/02/arts ... ister.html
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Re: Met Opera Suspends James Levine

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fountainhall wrote:What is the world coming to?
This is getting so ridiculous. It's gotten to the point that if you look at someone cross-eyed, next thing you know it's a scandal that can cost you your entire career.

I'll be damned if I would want to live in an atmosphere where you have to not just be careful about what you say, but be extremely careful and have to "walk on eggs." I'd be afraid to so much as ask someone out for a date anymore.

I wonder how many times in everyone's life something you said or wrote was taken completely differently from the way you meant it, and when you found out that someone was upset, you were taken by surprise. Now if something like that happens, not only are you taken by surprise, but quite likely you can also kiss your reputation and perhaps your career goodbye.
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