Monday, 6th July 2009

Elitist approach to opera in Malta

James Vella Clark, Valletta

I would have loved to attend the screening of La Traviata at Argotti Gardens (picture). However, I chose not to. Not because I didn't feel like paying a smacking entrance fee of €20 charged at the door but because I didn't want to succumb to what in my opinion was a brazen-faced initiative.

It was a summer event, the weather was amazing, the venue was one of the nicest public gardens in Malta and one of the main performers was our Maltese cultural ambassador Joseph Calleja not to mention that one of the participating dancers selected was also the Maltese Sarah-Jane Attard. So for once, with all the recent ado in the media about the lack of cultural appreciation towards opera in Malta, I would have expected the cultural authorities to act with more vision. They could have used this event to bring opera closer to the people. Instead whoever was responsible opted once again for the usual mediocre and oft-sprung money-making tactic.

It seems to me that the government never has problems to host free events such as the Isle of MTV concert for thousands of youngsters at an exorbitant cost, and which they justify as a means of advertising Malta. For such an event, money is never a problem. Neither is it a problem to sponsor a football team...in the UK and which is not even in the top league. But for a one-off screening of a high-profile operatic event that would have encouraged locals to support its fellow Maltese tenor, money seems not to have been forthcoming. It is indeed a pity. Instead of creating an opportunity, this event has been reduced to another disgraceful profit-making exercise confirming that in Malta, opera is after all bound to remain elitist.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Saturday, November 21, 2009. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

James Vella Clark (on 9/7/09)

Daphne, you shouldn't have been so quick to reply because it's very clear you got me wrong. I never said Euros20 was expensive nor that i wanted to attend for free. All I said was that such an event, could have been an excellent opportunity to bring opera closer to the public by using Joseph Calleja's presence as the "carrot" to attract people who would usually find it hard to fork out money to 'try' opera for the first time. My argument is not about the amount of money. Euros 20 is very cheap - I agree. But my point was that if the authorities never seem to have no problem offering an MTV concert for free, FOR ONCE, it shouldn't have been difficult to act likewise vis-a-vis this operatic concert.
My letter was not addressed to Chris or St James but to the authorities who ultimately decide were to allocate funds. I have nothing against MTV or the people who love the pop genre of music. I love pop music a lot too and am not an opera buff. I just feel that it's unfair that opera is always relegated to second place and never given a fair chance.

Daphne Caruana Galizia (on 6/7/09)

Charging EUR20 for an event at which Joseph Calleja sings is not elitist but the very opposite. It is way too cheap. Next time, James, spend those EUR20 on beer and a pizza, but you'll have to eat alone because it won't cover the tab for two. What is this country coming to, when even those who earn a decent salary are now beginning to demand everything for free, including concerts which cost money and are not sponsored? Another point: not even wild horses would drag people who don't like opera to an event like this, free or not. It's not the price of a EUR20 ticket that keeps them away, but personal preference. The Isle of MTV concert is free, but I won't be going.

Carmel Gatt (on 6/7/09)

How right you are Mr Vella Clark! You have expressed in an admirable manner to what miserable level opera (or classical music) is viewed by whoever is responsible for culture on these islands. The government is quite willing to fork out thousands of euros for an event in which thousands of teenagers take part but where serious music is concerned one is made to pay. The leading tenor was none other than our world-famous Joseph Calleja but would that matter? What the government should have done is install large screens in every major town and village and encourage the people through the media to go and watch. I do not think that the people who watched the opera in Trafalgar Square were made to pay.

Rita Grixti (on 6/7/09)

If you want to attend elite performances all you have to do is to become involved with politics even as a minor contributor, then you and your family and friends will get the best seats at little or no cost and you might even get to sit in a gold chair.

j n ebejer (on 6/7/09)

We parents would prefer the money spent on such venues as Isle of MTV to be spent on music, drama arts lessons for our children, encouraged by all family venues. Attention given to such form of education in schools is minimal if not non existant.

So much talking and budgeting for an opera theatre and it seems we are missing on the basis of everything- instilling love for culture in our young.

wally vella-zarb (on 6/7/09)

Bravo, Mr Vella Clark! A very valid observation that further demonstrates the sad fact that, in this country, we only pay lip-service when it comes to cultural events. One also notices that the potential audience for the Isle of MTV is MUCH larger than that for an opera - as in 'MUCH more potential voters'. One also agrees with your remark about the sponsoring of a mediocre foreign football team, while at the same time noticing the dearth of financing those local sportsmen who regularly do us proud in international events and are frequently out of pocket.

Elitist approach to opera in Malta

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