A North Carolina radio station announced it will not air six contemporary operas from New York’s Metropolitan Opera this season because of its “inappropriate” content — citing “language,” LGBTQ themes and “non-biblical sources” among the reasons.
WCPE, a listener-funded classical music station serving the Raleigh-Durham area, protested the Met’s decision to showcase works written recently by composers from diverse racial and social backgrounds, NPR reported.
In a letter to listeners on August 31, WCPE general manager Deborah S. Proctor said the station took issue with seven operas in particular — six scheduled for the 2023-2024 season, and one that aired earlier this year. He asked for feedback from listeners.
Proctor’s letter gained widespread attention this week after it went viral on social media.
Most of WCPE’s objections relate to depictions of violence, language or the presence of LGBTQ subject material.
In one opera, Proctor said he objected to a composer’s “unbiblical” interpretation of Jesus’ birth.
“All age groups listen to our station; we want parents to know that they can leave our station playing for their children because our broadcasts are free of mature themes or foul language,” Proctor wrote in the letter.
One of the more controversial Met productions on the station’s roster is the critically acclaimed “Dead Man Walking” — which is based on a true story and opens with a graphic depiction of the rape and murder of two teenagers and ends with another brutal one.AFP via Getty Images
Proctor told NPR that the letter was mailed to 10,000 WCPE support members, of which about 1,000 responded. Of those who responded, 90% agreed to ban contemporary opera from the airwaves. He said he hopes to announce the results after he receives 2,000 responses.
“If the Met wants to position this as a ticketed organization with people coming to sit in their seats, for people who choose to be there, that’s one thing,” Proctor told the outlet on Thursday. “But to broadcast this to anyone who might follow it, that’s something else.”
A content warning before broadcasting an opera would not be sufficient warning for listeners, he said.
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The letter has angered opera fans, but despite the backlash, Proctor insists he is not “banning” the piece.
“I’m just saying that at this station that I’ve been given jurisdiction over — and 90 percent more of the people who have responded to the survey agree with me — it shouldn’t be at this station.”
One of the more controversial Met productions on the station’s slate is the critically acclaimed “Dead Man Walking” — which is based on a true story and opens with a graphic depiction of the rape and murder of two teenagers and ends with another brutal one, according to NPR .
It is reportedly the most performed opera of the 20th century.
Others on the list are: “The Hours” (2022) by composer Kevin Puts, which features suicide; John Adams’ opera-oratorio “El Niño” (2000) which retells the birth; Terence Blanchard’s opera “Champion” (2023), about the real-life gay boxer Emile Griffith; Anthony Davis and Thulani Davis biography “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” (1986); and Mexican composer Daniel Catán’s opera “Florencia en el Amazonas” (1996).
When contacted by NPR, the Metropolitan Opera said it had not heard about the WCPE results.
The Post has reached out to the Metropolitan Opera for comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
