This would be fine if the Met would commission composers who actually knew anything about opera or voices.
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Lots of exciting things going forward! I have high hopes, though I did notice that the piece says that the Met is trying to "seem" less elitist, not "be" less elitist. At the risk of seeming picky, I do think it is an important difference. That stink of elitism is something that opera brought (and continues to bring) on itself. We were very happy when people showed up because of the positive associations of elitism or "high culture". Now that fewer folks feel that need for that kind of social approval, we want to run away from the image we cultivated with a million galas and champagne toasts.
If we are trying to "seem" less elitist, well that is just a branding exercise. What we need to do to survive as an art form is to BE less elitist, a path that many companies have taken some meaningful, if still elementary, steps towards.
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How many "new" operas have you wanted to hear twice, or even once past the first intermission? The Met is misguided to think that recent works are going to bring in younger audiences unless they intend to stage works that sound like popular music. I have long felt there is a demographic doomsday for traditional culture around 2030, and sadly, I see this being fulfilled. Boomers were supposed to turn to classical music once they hit 40, but we are still waiting as they have reached 70 or the grave.
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@David There are many new operas I have listened to or attended multiple times. The hit or miss ratio, for me, is close to or slightly better than the ratio for older works. Jake Heggie's Three Decembers is a particular favorite, as are Lee Hoiby's A Month in the Country and This is the Rill Speaking.
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They may be reaching out to women, but the Met is still it's arrogant self if it thinks enough people will shell out $200-$350 to see a work that's unknown by composers who are relatively unknown. It's a start that they're considering "Dead Man Walking", I'd like them to consider "Moby Dick" as well, which I very much enjoyed in San Francisco.
If the Met wants to fill seats it should be adding productions of Oklahoma, Carousel, Showboat and other American musicals that shine when sung by mature, classically trained voices. And while they're at it, stop using La Boheme as a training ground and try some luxury casting there.
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“It’s part of getting out of our building,” said music director Nézet-Séguin, but it is far more than that, for the prison walls that have long incarcerated women world-wide are crumbling as headline news such as this, quickly flashes around the world technologically, then mouth to ear, encouraging women everywhere to come forth while saying to us males, “Yes they can, and yes they are!”
Oh! and by the way, it was our moms who brought us here...
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