Fresh Flesh in Opera

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Several Days ago I questioned whether opera was going for gore. Prior to that I'd spoken about the move in opera to show more sexually appealing vocalists. And then way back in August I posted about the use of sex with string players (and other performers). It seems these aren't the only trends, and I'm not the only one noticing.

Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times finds singers disrobing more frequently in operas in order for productions to gather new audiences. He does a wonderful job of exploring some of the recent productions which have shown a near to full nudity, and then exploring the reasons behinding these performances, the impact on the audience and the effect to the artform as a whole. Toward the end there is even a cautionary concern for what may be going too far, or nudity foresaking the music (which isn't a crime, but probably ought to be).

Mr Tommasini's article is well written. While I've had similar thoughts, I wish I'd put them half so eloquently.

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