The Politics of Art & Authenticity

Overall, the opera was pretty cool. It was my first time at an opera, and I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew that everyone in our class was dressing up, so I thought it would be really fancy. Which it was. But I thought it would be a lot of old people wearing glasses and monocles. I thought it would be in black and white. It wasn’t.

I liked reading the opera in class first. I thought it was funny and cute how we read it in class, and it was nothing like the actual opera. When we first got there, I was just astounded. I knew it would be fancy, but I didn’t know how fancy. The decor certainly created the atmosphere. I thought the fountain at first was glamorous, and the inside just blew me away. I kind of felt like I was walking in a movie set.

I’ve heard people say that in operas, it doesn’t matter what language they sing in, because they’re just so talented. I never understood that. Of course if it wasn’t in English it wasn’t going to make any sense for me, right? Wrong. I followed the story based on the rich emotion and character behind the voices. That is truly a universal language.

Throughout the first few minutes of Carmen I was checking the time and playing with the subtitle screen. I figured if I was losing a few hours of my life at an opera, I might as well try and learn French and German simultaneously. The first thing that distracted me from my trivial pursuit was the way the lights made the background look endless. At one point it looked as if the there was a circular set and endless open blue sky behind it. I thought this was brilliant. And then I started reading the subtitles in English, which was a fantastic idea because then I was sucked into the compelling story line. What really drove the opera experience home for me was the talent of the performers. Sometimes forty of them were on stage at once, all singing in harmony! Regardless of my initial attitude, I think the opera is pretty cool.

Night At The Met
courtesy of Thomas Seubert

“Kinshasa Kids” tells the story of a group of youth living impoverished on the streets of the African city, Kinshasa. Accused of being witch-children and causing the problems of Kinshasa, thousands of children have been thrown out of their houses, and a group of them unify to fend for themselves together on the streets. Urged by a “rock star,” they form a band and use music as their outlet. The film follows the kids as they struggle for survival and work to create their band; it concludes with the concert they perform for the entire community.

“Kinshasa Kids” demonstrates that no matter your situation, determination and faith can help you deal with and get through even the hardest of times. Although their physical situation doesn’t change, the kids’ emotional well-being is enhanced by their unity and friendship. They show that you can reach your highest dreams and hopes if you just have the courage and persevere. The head of their band explains that when they meet for music, “they are one.” They need to live to “protect music.” In a world where they have no other reason to live, music becomes their unified fight and their purpose to go on and keep hoping. For them, music and the concert symbolizes optimism for the future.

Wajnberg conveys this idea through music. When the kids are singing and playing their instruments, their faces radiate. They are filled with happiness and hope, and this feeling echoes onto the audience.

The kids discuss the reasons they want to put on the concert: mainly, they want money so they can get off the streets. They want to get an education and eventually get out of Kinshasa. One boy says he wants to do the concert so he can “become a man.”

Wajnberg wrote the script of the film based on the stories that the kids of Kinshasa told him. He says that his film is fiction in a documentary style. Although most of the film is scripted and staged, many parts of it are not. In one part of the film, a man warns another that a “white man” is filming them from behind. This is scripted, but it reflects Wajnberg’s experience in Kinshasa. The film documents the kids’ life on the streets, their struggle for survival. “Kinshasa Kids” evokes emotions of fear and hope. Watching the film, my heart went out to the kids who didn’t choose the life they live and have no means to change it.

Wajnberg’s shaky, unsteady camera films Kinshasa in its authentic state, presenting a very real-life picture of the situation. He presents Kinshasa as he views it, drawing from his experience while filming there. The drama is so intense that it’s hard to consider it may be true, but it’s also difficult to believe that it’s not true. On the one hand, the film is unquestionably fiction – how can something like this actually be taking place? On the other hand, it seems definitely true – how can someone make this up? Wajnberg blends fiction and documentary styles into a film that tells a deep story.

Credit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBWNkyFUQRQ

In Kinshasa, thousands of children are denounced by their families as witches and thrown out into the streets at the young ages of 4 and 5 years old. Kinshasa Kids is a story of survival, of growing up alone, of growing up too young. The children that the film centers around are from the ages ten to thirteen, and their stories are well beyond their years. Kinshasa Kids is about making do with what you have, even when you don’t have anything. It’s about making something to have.

A small group of children form a bond, a brother/sisterhood on the streets, and they help each other out. They work hard jobs to make a little bit of money so they can eat, and they steal and get stolen from. In the middle of the film, the kids sit around a fire and talk about the future. They talk about making enough money to put themselves through school, help their siblings, make sure that they give their own children a better life. And this is how “The Devil Does Not Exist”, the children’s musical band, is formed.

The kids enlist the help of Bebson, a musician who lives on the streets. They work endlessly on their first hit, “Boom Boom Chaka”. And they get let down, time and time again by the unfairness of the streets. The corruption in Kinshasa is expected, but watching these innocent children’s hopeful dreams get shattered, time and time again, is heartbreaking.

At the end of the film, filmmaker Marc-Henri Wajnberg got up and answered some questions about the movie. He made this film to raise awareness about the horrors of Kinshasa, and what happens in the streets. His documentary style is extremely effective because the viewers actually get to see, first hand, what the streets of Kinshasa are like. Although the film was scripted, it is truly reflective of the day-to-day goings on in the streets. Wajnberg was personally arrested four or five times a day while filming, so police corruption was a theme in the movie. He saw little girls raped in the middle of the night, so in the movie, a little girl was raped. He saw kids trying to make it, black and white, in a city of gray, so that is what the movie is about. Certain parts were unscripted though, and I think those parts are what makes Wajnberg an auteur. Fitting in the raw footage is not easy, and it makes the film much more complex and rich. I am sure that this very raw style of film will be a signature element in Wajnberg’s future films, because it shows, without telling, societal norms and practices that cannot be given over as effectively in any other way.

The movie ends with the kids putting on their first concert, with equipment that they paid for legally, and the audience dancing and putting money in a hat. The reverberations of Boom Boom Chaka are heard around Kinshhasa, and the message of those words, that ANYTHING is possible, brings tremendous hope to the viewer. This upbeat end to such a dire film also makes Wajnberg an auteur. It is a real surprise, and it does not mean that tomorrow will be a better day, but it does contribute to the message of the movie—you need to make something to have, and anyone can do it.

Credit to New York Times: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/01/01/arts/carmen-2-ready/articleLarge.jpg

I never thought I would see an opera, yet alone the great Carmen, and at the MetOpera. But I certainly was not counting on the amazing stage work and scenery that immersed me in this strange spanish love story. Although the acoustics gave me a slight headache and the seats weren’t as comfortable as I would have hoped, the music and singing was truly breathtaking. The orchestra was perfect in every way and the actors/singers/performers (whatever you call them), did an amazing job in every aspect of their performances. If there was anything I would say I didn’t like, it would the lengthy, drawn-out musical numbers of the first two acts. I appreciated the action and emotion of the last two acts much more. I definitely think it’s because I haven’t experienced an opera yet and the length of such an epic performance got to me. I would definitely go back to the opera, in better seats of course. And the food and drinks there were completely overpriced. Really? Twelve dollars for a small sandwich? Six bucks for a little cup of soda? You already made a huge amount of money from ticket sales, I don’t think you need to be selling food worth more than my seat. The opera is something that everyone should experience once in their lives, and hopefully a few times more.

I was torn about last night’s excursion to the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. For one, I should be ecstatic and grateful that I was going to be able to experience part of a rich theatrical culture  that most people never experience – and in such a beautiful place as the MET. But then I thought: “Wonderful. Four hours up in the severe nosebleed seats to listen to a story that I find both flat and irritating. I just want to be home so I can sleep.” Yes, I knew I should be excited for the show, and I mean really, the fact that this is an arts event should have been enough motivation. It was, and I’m very glad I didn’t let my typical college kid craving for sleep get in the way of a wonderful evening. I credit Porgy & Bess with my decision to go into the evening with a positive attitude – because after you’ve watched Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis in a Broadway adaptation of the original opera, you tend to think positively about operas.

Okay, seriously. We could have gotten to the stabbing two acts ago.

I should probably explain that part about Carmen having a “flat and irritating story…” When I read through the libretto, and found that the general plot could be condensed to maybe a few pages of dialogue, I felt it was bad storytelling. Add in all that unnecessary repetition, and even now I cannot say that Carmen is a good opera in terms of plot and dialogue. (We get it Carmen, if you love us, we better watch out.) The experience of going to the opera made me realize something, however, opera is meant to be heard, not read. The opera is about masterful melodies and amazing arias, and coupled with some of the most intricate set and costume designs I’ve ever seen on a stage, this boring story transformed into something that let me starstruck.

I appreciate the opera, and while it won’t probably ever be something I over-excitedly insist I need to go see again, I’m not exactly going to turn down the opportunity. Even the seats were pretty good… if you don’t mind spending fifteen minutes trying to figure out which one was Carmen.

Photo Credit

I gently strolled to the Metropolitan Opera building and was completely blown away by the architecture of the building. The interior of the building was even more mind blowing and reminded me of the showroom in the Wynn Casino. The water show outside of the Opera made me homesick because it reminded me of the water show at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

This was my first Opera and I actually learned a lot from this experience. At first I thought an Opera was just a play with just a little singing in it, but I was shocked to learn that an Opera was mainly singing. I also thought that Carmen would be performed in English, but it was performed in its original language French.

At first I was under the impression that I wouldn’t be able to see the performance, but I could see everything perfectly. Surprisingly, I knew most of the Opera songs by heart. This is probably due in part to these songs being implemented into our popular culture through movies and television.  I enjoyed the music and was impressed that the performers could have their voices carry through the entire building. The reading of Carmen in class enhanced my understanding of the play and made it easier to follow. The dancing was beautifully performed and I was blown away by the costumes. Don Jose and Carmen did an amazing job and I was impressed by the palpable emotions in the final act. I plan on visiting more Operas in the future due to this truly amazing experience!

Image Source: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/09/24/arts/20070925_METGALA_SLIDESHOW_index.html

It was everything I expected; big voices, strong emotion, and an exciting ending. As I waited for Carmen to begin I studied the impressive architecture of the Met; its beautiful ceilings and brilliant chandeliers. Then as the opera began I saw that the performers on stage were even more magnificent than the venue. The vocals from Carmen were beautiful and Don Jose delivered a powerful performance as he professed his love for Carmen. The singing was so emotionally charged that it truly created a thorough description of the feelings each character had at the time. Carmen sang with such passion in Act I as she attempted to earn the love of Don Jose and when Carmen wanted to leave Don Jose in Act IV, he sang with such pain and sadness in his voice. This emotion is something that is unmatched by most other performing mediums I have encountered. My first time at the opera is something I’ll never forget. The opera resonated with me in such a big way that I fully intend to explore it further and see another show in the near future.

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Any place that encourages dressing up, is a place for me. The Met itself is beautiful. The chandeliers, the steps, elevators, everything about the building was incredible. For a few hours I felt like I had a six-digit bank account as opposed to the sad reality of what a college student’s bank account actually looks like.

Since the actors and opera singers knew what they were doing (unlike we did in class) it was more interesting, funny, and sad to watch the production come to life through their portrayal. It was obvious that sometimes things got lost in translation by the awkward way in which they were translated. That is something expected and inevitable but I still felt informed and that I knew what was happening.

Sometimes trying to read the subtitles and watch the production was distracting because it seemed impossible to take in the experience completely without missing something. Just sitting back, listening and watching was relaxing enough. Reading the libretto came in handy in these moments because even though I didn’t understand what they were saying, I had a general idea of the plot surrounding the scene performed.

Even though I was literally broke last night, it was nice to feel like royalty for a little while. My first time at the Met is an experience I’ll never forget.

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Thursday night, October 18, was the first time I ever stepped foot in the Metropolitan Opera and watching an opera. I was taken back at first at how beautiful the building was. I was truly amazed at it. What I was more amazed at was the sound. Sitting up top has it perks, maybe the not the view, but what you hear. I wasn’t really intrigued with the play, probably because I don’t like to read subtitles and watch a show at the same time since I feel like my mind is being taken away by either the view or understanding the play. However, I really did like the music and how clear everything was. No microphones were used and I heard everything so clearly and precise as if I was sitting front row. I loved how everything can be heard because of the way the building was built and how the sound bounces off the walls so that everyone can hear everything without the need of microphones or speakers. I feel that microphones and speakers take away from the true sound of music and the true sound of a person’s voice and through the opera I was able to hear everything. Every pitch, every note, and every movement the characters made. I was truly taken back by the sounds. Although, the opera might not be my favorite thing, I would love to sit in that theater again and just hear an orchestra or just someone’s voice because the sound is just wonderful and amazing. The opera was definitely a new experience for me.