View repor at La Vanguardia

The ESADE Alumni Cultural Industries Club recently enjoyed an insider’s view of the world of opera.

At this recent round table, several important figures provided distinct points of view from both on and off the stage: the tenor Jaume Aragall; Joan Matabosch, the artistic director of the Liceu Opera House; Roger Alier, the music critic for La Vanguardia and founder of Ópera actual; and Antoni Quintana, a co-founder and member of the governing board of the Sabadell Friends of Opera Association.

Aleix Pratdepàdua (MBA ‘09), a member of the ESADE Alumni Cultural Industries Club, moderated the discussion, which encompassed a range of different roles within the opera world. The first topic addressed was the current status of the art form in these difficult economic times. In the words of Mr. Matabosch: "Opera is spreading faster than ever before, what with the large number of new opera houses that are opening up. However, we can’t hide the fact that there are some red flags on the horizon, especially considering that we are talking about an art form that depends heavily on public subsidies. Therefore, we are in a very weak position to deal with economic troubles of the current sort".

Mr. Aragall expressed optimism about opera’s current situation: "It’s very vibrant, and this gives spectators more options, because there are more performances. Still, these days you don’t hear too many voices that will really carry you away".

Mr. Quintana shared his viewpoint as an opera aficionado. He noted the growing number of performances and commented on "the vitality of the sector¿, but he also expressed concern: “What will happen if someday the subsidies disappear?"

Art or business?

Following this introduction, the debate turned to the art/business dichotomy of the opera. Mr. Aragall called this characterisation "strange", adding that opera "is obviously both things: people sing because they love the art, as far as that goes, but it also has to be a good business for the owners of the theatres". 

Mr. Alier made the following observation: "Although the opera has grown spectacularly in Spain in recent years, it does not mean that this positive trend will be repeated in other countries where the crisis has diminished the supply". He also pointed out a trend that he has seen in recent years: "The opera is much more expensive to produce than it was a few years back".

On the basis of his experience at the Liceu, Mr. Matabosch denied that the opera was a business, explaining that "at least 50% of the budget has to come from public investments". In fact, he said, "we should call it management rather than business". 

Should this management be aimed at pleasing the audience or satisfying the creative needs of the singers and directors? Mr. Matabosch offered the first answer to this question: "The opera is an art that must please the crowd, but with a powerful cultural product that contributes something substantial to the country’s culture". 

Mr. Quintana replied: "In any event, we must always distinguish between small and large opera houses. The large houses can pick up the new shows that come out of the small houses. People compare the small houses with the large ones, but we must remember that they have a much smaller budget".

As the session drew to a close, the speakers came around to a key issue for the opera as an art form: the dilemma as to whether it is music or theatre. Mr. Matabosch declared: "Operas interrogate us and tell us things about ourselves. That’s what a stage manager wants to achieve". He added: "All theatre must have the good judgement to serve the audience’s sense of the work". 

At the conclusion of the discussion, the various speakers agreed that the opera world requires managers with good judgement who can enable the opera to become an art of expression.

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For further information:
clubindustriasculturales@alumni.esade.edu