Entering the opera house in Lincoln Center, I knew I would be in for a great experience. Lincoln Center itself has one of the grandest atmospheres in Manhattan, and walking in that area, especially dressed-up and ready to go to the opera, is a special moment in New York City. After learning about Don Giovanni, I was curious to see how the performance would compare to my expectations. From the libretto, research, and discussions in class, I already formed my opinion that Don Giovanni was a tragedy. From the opening, Leporello complains about the trying life of having Don Giovanni as a master. Don Giovanni does not care about the morals of his servant; he pushes Leporello into vile acts so that his greedy thirst for women can be quenched. This behavior is completely self-centered, as it puts Leporello in a moral bind – and that is only the opening scene. From there, Don Giovanni is seen escaping from Donna Anna’s bedroom, which indicates a possible rape and he kills Donna Anna’s father while leaving. This man’s lifestyle cannot be characterized as merely indulgent or the womanizer lifestyle. This is a terrible man. While he may be humanized in the opera, it is also important to not that the opera was once called “The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni,” acknowledging his evil deeds. The finale, his death, is a proclamation that those who sin are ultimately punished. But while in the opera, I did not feel it was performed as tragically as I’d hoped. I knew that Mozart wrote Don Giovanni to go smoothly from serious to comedy, but I felt like the plot should be done in a more serious manner, so that the audience does not lose sight of the fact that he is committing terrible crimes. In the opera house, I felt that Don Giovanni was taken more as a comedy that a tragedy.

The opera also takes on the heavy subject of class, at a time when class was very important to a person’s entire being. In Mozart’s illustration of the relationship between Zerlina and Don Giovanni gives a very clear distinction from the relationship between two members of equal status. He feels that he can easily persuade her to fall for him with the temptation of money, status, and the mere flattery of having a nobleman interested in her, and she is interested. Donna Elvira, on the other hand, is persuaded by a promise of love; he does not offer her anything but himself in that relationship. Similarly, Zerlina and Masetto have a purer form of love that is similar to the love between Donna Anna and Don Ottavio. The only two people of different statuses who seem to have some sort of equality in their relationship are Don Giovanni and Leporello. While Leporello is Don Giovanni’s servant and has an obligation to act upon his request, they have some sort of mutual respect.

Music in the opera played a crucial role in relaying the message of each scene. Especially in the intimate scenes, such as Don Ottavio’s aria, the music was key. The lyrics alone simply do not demonstrate the intense emotions, as they are often repetitive and simple, but the music has depth. This is how the viewer can see into the emotions of the characters, by the way they are sung and performed, rather than by the actual text, which is more of a skeleton for the rest of the performance.

After seeing all of our more contemporary performances this semester, it was very interesting seeing such an old art form performed in a similar setting. While there are a lot of differences between the old and new, the universal themes of Don Giovanni allow anyone to feel some connection to the characters. A reminder of our history, it is comforting to think that everything we are going through has, in some form, been experienced by our ancestors. The opera is a reminder of our past, a reminder of those who came before us and experienced those same experiences we are now. While we have modern technology, opera stand to show that some things don’t change. Despite this, I found the opera to be a different experience from other, more modern experiences. The feeling of entering an opera theatre is much more formal than any modern performance I have attended. It has an antiquated feel, which is natural, but also comes with a distant reverence that modern performance has tried to shatter by crushing the boundaries between high art and everyday culture. The opera is something untouchable, and while this can be off-putting for some, it also makes the opera a special experience.

Meira

After watching the Builder’s Association’s production of “House/Divided,” I feel like I have a new prospective on media in performance. The performance was filled with media, using it as the set, but also as a featured character. The presence of media in the mortgage crisis was a pivotal difference from the Depression era, to which this financial era was compared. The Depression era was brought into the story using the classic novel “Grapes of Wrath,” by John Steinbeck. While in that time the story of financial wo was spread by this novel, something everyone in that time period read and felt deep in their core to ring true with themselves and their surroundings, this era uses media to explain their troubles. All over the news, media announces the very personal struggles of the millions. Whether on the televised news, the papers, blogs (another revolution that is only used very lately), or radio, the pain is everywhere in the media, while in the Depression era there was less ability to spread news, as there were fewer media through which the news could travel.

The play compared this financial crisis to the Depression, which is not a far leap. But an additional difference that was made is the presence of corporations. These are businesses which often employ thousands of workers – workers who rarely have any choice to do anything but their job. There is no opportunity for kindness. As mentioned in the after-show discussion, the scene in which the cruel man from the Depression times lends the poor mother a nickel for sugar would be impossible in this era. The workers at big corporations could not offer assistance unless there are commands from higher up. It is much like soldiers often have no idea what they are doing when they work in an operation, they merely listen to their commander for orders, hoping that those above them know what they are doing. 

This play reinforced my support of Auslander, that is, media can enhance performance. I think that the idea this play was using, bringing in media to show the difference between the individual story and the massive companies, was brilliant and stark. On the other hand, much like the woman who fervently argued against the play’s ability to reach the audience, I think that the production could have been pared down quite a bit to emotionally connect with the audience. This follows the Phelan view, and though the play utilized media well, I think there needs to be a balance so that the audience is not over-stimulated.

Meira

Analytic Post-Modern Dance is a technique different from past styles. This new movement uses movement almost exclusively as the means of performance. While other styles use costume, lighting, set, etc. to express the meaning of the show, Analytic Post-Modern Dance kept anything besides the dancing simple. Dancers tended to wear ordinary clothes, and the stage is usually well-lit. The dancers did not need to be professionals; furthermore, they did not even need to dance, necessarily. Some Analytic Post-Modern Dance consisted of the performers eating, some the dancers were nude and expressing sexual imagery. The concept was that dance is only considered as such because it is put in the context of dance.

Trisha Brown was part of the Analytic Post-Modern Dance movement, but the pieces we watched were not Analytic Post-Modern Dance. The dancers were trained professionals in both “Glacial Decoy” and “Solo Olos.” They danced freely, with non-traditional motions, but this is not all that Analytic Post-Modern Dance includes. They were in costume, had a set, and had lighting.

Despite this, one might see this as Analytic Post-Modern Dance, as these factors were very limited. In ballet, for example, the costumes are specific and expressive. The lighting helps move along the narrative and the set gives a setting for the narrative in ballet. In Trisha Brown’s dance, the costume, set, and lighting merely create a stage for the dancers. The focus of the dance was entirely on the movement, which is the essential point of Analytic Post-Modern Dance. 

Meira

This is a review by Claudia La Rocco in the New York Times. It was published the 13th of September, 2012. The piece was performed in the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Nora Chipaumire’s “Miriam”