Peter Gelb. At the Met in New York since 2006
Monday, February 28, 2011
Couples Strip Dance Stories
"Peter Gelb is Director General of the Metropolitan Opera in New York since 2006.
was manager of the famous pianist Vladimir Horowitz in his final year career and is responsible for his triumphant return to Russia.
was in the department Press the Boston Symphony. worked at CAMI, the most important artistic agency in the world, led Sony, driving the "crossover" artists such as YoYo-Ma and Vangelis.
" remember the time when I directed and produced the return Horowitz Russia. I thought I could not do anything bigger or better, but did many things later. My job as head of the Metropolitan is, far, the most complicated, interesting and exciting as I've faced so far. Involves running a huge company with up to 3,000 employees, depending on the production, as well as negotiating with major artists and directors to bring to the Met and try to advance to a company that has always been musically supreme, one of the best of all time but was stuck on an artistic level, and thereby decades. The challenge of leading it toward something more modern while keeping your audience is the most difficult job done in my life .
Everything has changed in systems integration with the public since Gelb took over with the premiere of "Madama Butterfly." They were not the usual huge signs in the plaza of Lincoln Center announced the play, but the windows of Macy's and Saks were dedicated to the geishas and Puccini.
" The budget is above 300 million dollars, and have increased because I have increased their activity. We need more money and the only way is to take radical actions, but to work. You can not revolutionize revolutionize just might be the anarchy, you have to do with intelligence. We must be able to keep the current government but also extend to another that did not have before. The biggest mistake you can make today is to stay in contemplative mood, watch a thinking institution is not in danger .
But not always get it right. As part of its renewal program has been very controversial replacement of plays considered classics, as "Tosca" by Zeffirelli, with new ones. " I did not expect the new production of Bondy provoke much controversy, maybe it was somewhat naive, but maybe it was good it was. Zeffirelli is one of the greatest directors of all time, but that does not mean that the opera begins and ends with him. My intention was not to overthrow, but to offer something new and exciting to the audience, which was a risk. In fact, most of which I had thought, but the static nature of some of the old Zeffirelli productions were appropriate 30 years ago and today they are not. His "Bohème" is in the Met and perhaps his best production. There is no reason to replace it until you find something better. In the case of "Tosca" I thought I have found it. Some audience members agreed with me, but most did not .
However, the public has responded magnificently to less popular opera productions. " Who could imagine that" The Nose "by Shostakovich, could be Met the greatest success of last season?. The reason William Kentridge is that he did something spectacular.
also worked with the director of the Museum of Modern Art, Glenn Lowry, for five years to prepare for the premiere. He Kentrindge retrospective that captivated the public, which was the museum and then to the Met. It was a wonderful collaboration between institutions. As director of an almost five thousand seats, try to fill them, and the only way is to make people feel great at the opera. This is possible by offering what they think they want, but something else, without offending. I am not in favor of art that creates controversy, I prefer the one that shows the viewer something he has not seen .
Gerard Mortier attempts to bring renewal to the Teatro Real, but for now, some bets have been for the quality of tradition, as the "Rosenkavalier" Wernicke, and others as "Montezuma", have not responded to expectations. The test will be next season, is rumored to be without any Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini, "but for Gelb is unclear what separates one another:" There are differences between us. I do not think "cultural" to be in America, but by being a citizen of the world, and accept the idea that there are cultural differences between American public and that of Spain or Germany, but I also believe there are great works of art over cultural barriers. Good managers are successful anywhere as good painters. I think the difference between Gerard and me is that he works within the European system, which is not so conditioned by the taste of the American public, which is ruled by money. There just have government support. This government support is lower taxes for the rich so that they, if they want to give money to the institutions.
There is danger in our system, take their money and become a victim of your choice. My job is to surprise them with decisions and artistic choices that they like but do not expect necessarily. On the contrary, the danger in Europe is set not to the public, but against him .
The future of the opera is still to be written and the questions are many, but for Gelb some things clear: "Art changes and evolves, but the opera, in a sense, is rooted in the past. The genius of the works of Verdi, Puccini or Wagner is so great that today are worth considering what modern recreated in his time. The viewer must be given major productions with directors and designers who are interested in treating them as something in the present, not past .
Met The public may attend the 230 performances that are offered September through May has been expanded with the addition of those who fill the movie theaters around the world through high-definition broadcasts. In Madrid we have seen this weekend, "Iphigenia in Tauris," Gluck, with Placido Domingo. Also mean more revenue for some productions that come to cost twenty million dollars. " The box office accounts for 35% of the budget, but now we have a new source of revenue: the movies. Only last year we sold 2.4 million tickets to the Met broadcasts and this year we are approaching 3. They are much more cheaper than a ticket to the opera, somewhere around 7 euros, and the response is great. It is a major source of profit for the Met, which percibeel 50% of the tickets .
Source: www.larazon.es
Article published on 27 February.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment