The Klinghoffer Opera at Lincoln Center- Where is everybody?

amother

Sat, Oct 04 2014, 10:49 pm

https://www.facebook.com/event.....5334/

If everyone here feels as they should, and is absolutely stunned that Klinghoffer's tragic murder is being used in a very public way, with an offering of an opera, that is filled with Anti-Semitic slurs, put on by the Metropolitan Opera, at Lincoln Center, to justify the workings of terrorists' minds, ought to at least begin by offering their voices on the Facebook page, with some clear reasoning on how the blood of past, present, and future victims of terror must be curdling at the thought of this opera and show their disgust in a clear manner.

Klinghoffer was not even an Israeli, was simply on a vacation, to celebrate his anniversary, and any attempt at twisted justification of this horrendous murder of an innocent person, shot and thrown overboard in his wheelchair, is simply bizzare and beyond the pale.

Today they attempt to justify Anti-Semitic terrorists, tomorrow Nazis and ISIS, perhaps.

List of Donors to Metropolitan Opera

https://www.metopera.org/PageF.....4.pdf

amother

Sat, Oct 04 2014, 11:06 pm

Some quotes from the actual Opera:

"The Death of Klinghoffer” condones this murder, and idealizes terrorism and violence against innocent victims. It portrays terrorists as victims, and victims as deserving of their fate. The libretto is replete with vile anti-Semitic wording. Here are a few examples:
"Wherever poor men are gathered, they can find Jews getting fat.

You know, how to cheat the simple, exploit the virgin, pollute where you have exploited, defame those you cheated, and break your own law with idolatry."
At one point, the terrorist leader says to Klinghoffer, "America is One Big Jew."

The opening scene is set against a backdrop of grafitti on a wall proclaiming,"Warsaw 1943, Bethlehem 2005,” implying a moral equivalence between the acts of the Nazis and current day Jews.
The Palestinians sing, “We are soldiers fighting a war. We are not criminals and we are not vandals but men of ideals.”

http://www.israelnationalnews......ldUUQ

Clarissa

Sun, Oct 05 2014, 4:54 am

Please watch an interview with John Adams and see how everyone is jumping to conclusions about this opera. He writes operas about recent history. In this opera, from what I've read, everyone sings what they would say, as people do in all operas. That doesn't mean it celebrates terrorism any more than "Schindler's List" celebrated Nazism and turned people into Nazis.

Please remember that an opera is at for seven or eight performances and then doesn't return to the Met for the remainder of the season, and isn't even usually back there during the following season. These protests are getting it far more attention than it would ever get based on its artistic merits.

I haven't seen it, so I can't say what I'd think of it, but I'm planning on seeing it and I'll post when I do if anyone is interested. Attached is a link with a video that has interviews with Adams and also with the director:
http://www.metopera.org/opera/.....ckets

amother

Sun, Oct 05 2014, 8:18 am

amother wrote:
If everyone here feels as they should ...

imasoftov wrote:

You lost me right there.

Imho, anyone with a Jewish conscience should be appalled at the tone and lyrics of this opera. Or are you saying you are appalled at my tone? If yes, forgive me.

"The Death of Klinghoffer” condones this murder, and idealizes terrorism and violence against innocent victims. It portrays terrorists as victims, and victims as deserving of their fate. The libretto is replete with vile anti-Semitic wording. Here are a few examples:
"Wherever poor men are gathered, they can find Jews getting fat.

You know, how to cheat the simple, exploit the virgin, pollute where you have exploited, defame those you cheated, and break your own law with idolatry."
At one point, the terrorist leader says to Klinghoffer, "America is One Big Jew."

The opening scene is set against a backdrop of grafitti on a wall proclaiming,"Warsaw 1943, Bethlehem 2005,” implying a moral equivalence between the acts of the Nazis and current day Jews.
The Palestinians sing, “We are soldiers fighting a war. We are not criminals and we are not vandals but men of ideals.”

http://www.israelnationalnews......DDtmfldUUQ

Barbara

Sun, Oct 05 2014, 9:08 am

Clarissa wrote:

Schindler's List doesn't pressent the Nazi side as reasonable, and suggest that yeah, the Nazis actually may have had a damned good reason to murder 6 million Jews. Oh, I'm sorry, not "murder." To be hanging around when they died. Remember, the title is "death," not "murder."

If it's supposed to be a historical piece, why are there so many historical inaccuracies in it, such as blaming Jews for a massacre perpetrated by Christians, or claiming that Israel committed acts in 1948 that it did not. My understanding (based on an interview with Adams, IIRC) is that these inaccuracies are "justified"on the grounds that they are what Palestinians believe. But that is then used to explain the terrorist acts. See, audience, the terrorists have reason to act as they did, to murder a random Jew, given what those horrible Jews did to them.

Nor, in ascribing an intent, do I think that you can ignore the deleted scene, which (as I understand it) portrays every negative stereotype of Jew that you can think of. Yes, it was removed. But the fact that it originally existed certainly suggests what the original intent of the piece was.

The point of this opera is that there is a sympathetic and indeed justidpfiable reason for terrorism, even if such justification is historically inaccurate. It would be no different if we substituted the 3 school boys murdered this summer for Kilinghoffer.

PinkFridge

Sun, Oct 05 2014, 9:19 am

Clarissa wrote:

Hey, haven't seen you in a while! I have no interest in opera, and if I would go to a big ticket show it would be one that would make me laugh. Looking forward to your posting afterwards, as all the buzz I've heard is negative though to be fair I don't know if it's first hand or not.

amother

Sun, Oct 05 2014, 9:46 am

PinkFridge wrote:

Are you saying that the below lyrics are potentially positive marks on Jews? If they were written about a certain race, and performances were planned, wed have a R E V O L T !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Yes, Clarissa)

"The Death of Klinghoffer” condones this murder, and idealizes terrorism and violence against innocent victims. It portrays terrorists as victims, and victims as deserving of their fate. The libretto is replete with vile anti-Semitic wording. Here are a few examples:
"Wherever poor men are gathered, they can find Jews getting fat.

You know, how to cheat the simple, exploit the virgin, pollute where you have exploited, defame those you cheated, and break your own law with idolatry."
At one point, the terrorist leader says to Klinghoffer, "America is One Big Jew."

The opening scene is set against a backdrop of grafitti on a wall proclaiming,"Warsaw 1943, Bethlehem 2005,” implying a moral equivalence between the acts of the Nazis and current day Jews.
The Palestinians sing, “We are soldiers fighting a war. We are not criminals and we are not vandals but men of ideals.”

http://www.israelnationalnews......DDtmfldUUQ

emama

Sun, Oct 05 2014, 10:25 am

I'm amazed at the comments here.
Do you really feel that an opera about an historic event, a murder of an innocent man who just happened to be killed because he was a Jew, that portrays the terrorists as people with ideas and beliefs, should be produced? Especially right now? Even if you argue that this is just about an historic event (read about the opera if you think that is all it is) and not antisemitic, then think about the portrayal of the terrorists. The opera states that they are men with feelings, with ideals and beliefs. That gives them the right to kill an innocent man, because he is a Jew. Such a production helps lead to the normalization of antisemitism.
Think ladies. This is not just an evening of enjoyment at the opera. (I shudder to think that anyone could be entertained knowing that this is about a real person's murder.)

Could you imagine an opera about 9/11 from the terrorist point of view..portraying the terrorists as normal guys with ideals and beliefs thus justifying their crashing of 4 planes and killing thousands?

Should the opera be performed as scheduled, there will be a rally at 6:30 on Monday, October 20 at 65th and Broadway, across from the Met.

Clarissa

Sun, Oct 05 2014, 11:23 am

I just want to say in advance that I'm not reading any posts here by amother. I don't understand the anonymity so I'm not concerned with any opinions expressed by anonymous posters.

As far as what the other commenters said, I doubt that it sympathizes with the terrorists (or it wouldn't be produced) so much as has them saying (or singing) what they would say, but I haven't seen it so I can't comment. Maybe I'll find it offensive. Who knows.

It's not a new opera -- it was first performed in 1991, so I'm surprised to see so much reaction to it now.

Peter Gelb cancelled the simulcast (which would have shown the opera around the world) so the only people who see it will be those at the Met. Frankly, all of this noise and all of this protesting has garnered for more attention for the opera than it would have gotten before, just being seen there for eight performances and then making way for other productions.

Last edited by Clarissa on Sun, Oct 05 2014, 11:35 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Sun, Oct 05 2014, 11:34 am

Clarissa wrote:

I just want to say in advance that I'm not reading any posts here by amother. I don't understand the anonymity so I'm not concerned with any opinions expressed by anonymous posters.

OK, makes snese! You want names of people who are nauseated by the Opera mentioned above?

You got names, now. Tell us please, how these two letters with NAMES hit you, Clarissa.

But Clarissa knows best. Idea

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Re “The Met Opera Stands Firm” (editorial, Sept. 20):

In joining protesters of the New York Metropolitan Opera’s production of “The Death of Klinghoffer,” I echo the silenced voice of our son, Daniel Pearl, and the silenced voices of other victims of terror who were murdered, maimed or left heartbroken by the new menace of our generation, a savagery that the Met has decided to elevate to a normative, two-sided status worthy of artistic expression.

We are told that the composer tried to understand the hijackers, their motivations and their grievances.

I submit that there has never been a crime in human history lacking grievance and motivation. The 9/11 lunatics had profound motivations, and the murderers of our son, Daniel Pearl, had very compelling “grievances.”

In the last few weeks we have seen with our own eyes that Hamas and the Islamic State have grievances, too. There is nothing more enticing to a would-be terrorist than the prospect of broadcasting his “grievances” in Lincoln Center, the icon of American culture.

Yet civilized society has learned to protect itself by codifying right from wrong, separating the holy from the profane, distinguishing that which deserves the sound of orchestras from that which commands our unconditional revulsion. The Met has trashed this distinction and thus betrayed its contract with society.

I submit that choreographing a “nuanced” operatic drama around criminal pathology is not an artistic prerogative, but a blatant betrayal of public trust. We do not stage “nuanced” operas for rapists and child molesters, and we do not compose symphonies for penetrating the minds of ISIS executioners.

Some coins do not have two sides. And what was done to Leon Klinghoffer has no other side.

What we are seeing in New York is not an artistic expression that challenges the limits of morality but a moral deformity that challenges the limits of the art.

This opera is not about the mentality of deranged terrorists, but about the judgment of our arts directors. The Metropolitan Opera has squandered humanity’s greatest treasure: our moral compass, our sense of right and wrong, and, most sadly, our reverence for music as a noble expression of the human spirit.

We might someday be able to forgive the Met for decriminalizing brutality, but we will never forgive it for poisoning our music, for turning our best violins and our iconic concert halls into megaphones for excusing evil.

JUDEA PEARL
President, Daniel Pearl Foundation
Los Angeles, Sept. 21, 2014

A version of this letter was read at the protest at the Met on Monday.

To the Editor:

You say the Metropolitan Opera’s presentation of “The Death of Klinghoffer” is “moving and nuanced” and an assertion of “artistic freedom.” The Met’s right to present this opera is not in question, but its wisdom in doing so should be.

Even the title is misleading. Leon Klinghoffer, an elderly, wheelchair-bound American, did not simply die. In 1985, he was murdered, as a Jew, by Palestinian terrorists while on a cruise ship. Moreover, the composer, John Adams, was blunt in revealing his own outlook when he complained in his autobiography, “Hallelujah Junction,” that “Israeli behavior on the world stage is off-limits to criticism.” But Israel was not even directly linked to the actual story as it unfolded.

Moreover, in a world rife with gruesome terrorism — from Al Qaeda to the Islamic State, from Hamas to Boko Haram — what exactly is it about the outlook of anti-American, anti-Western and anti-Semitic murderers that evokes artistic notions worthy of one of the world’s most prestigious stages?

In this spirit, should we expect Mr. Adams to prepare sequels for the Met, including “The Deaths of James Foley and Steven Sotloff” (not, alas, “The Beheadings”)? The possibilities for giving “voice to all sides” is endless, if, that is, one is prepared to abandon any semblance of decency.

DAVID HARRIS
Executive Director
American Jewish Committee
New York, Sept. 20, 2014