ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2021 NEWS/FEATURES 13

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Stage

Carnegie adjusts program New faces, works as opera houses open

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 25, (AP): As opera houses around the US warily resume indoor performances, two of the biggest are ushering in new leadership — along with a heightened commitment to building new audiences. In San Francisco, Korean-born Eun Sun Kim be- comes the company’s fi rst female music director and fi rst Asian. Nearly 2,000 miles to the east, Enrique Mazzola is taking up the reins as only the third music director in the history of Chicago’s Lyric Opera. The nation’s largest company, New York’s Met- ropolitan Opera, will have a relative veteran on the podium when its season opens Sept. 27: Yannick Nezet-Seguin has been in charge since 2018-19. But the changes at these and other houses go beyond per- sonnel. As Marc Scorca, presi- dent and CEO of Opera Amer- ica, sees it, there’s a greater determination to bring in new, more diverse audiences and to champion new works. “COVID was a time of dis- covery in this regard,” Scorca, whose organization works with companies large and Kim small, said in an email. Forced to abandon indoor productions during the pandemic, many companies devised digital offerings as well as in-person pro- gramming in open-air venues like ball parks, drive-in movie theaters, tents and even a parking garage. “We’ve heard that between 25% and 40% of au- diences for these activities were new,” Scorca said. The question now is how to retain these neophytes. “Does this ‘alternative’ activity have to become part of our regular work?” he said. “Will some of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts performs at the Rose Bowl, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019, in Pasadena, Calif. Watts died in on Tuesday, Aug. 24, at age these new audiences gravitate to the opera house?” 80. (AP) Mazzola sees making that happen as a crucial part of his job. “My mission is not only to be a good musician in Obituary the pit waving my baton,” he said in an interview, “but to inspire a new audience, to stop showing the new generations that opera is only for certain rich elites, which disturbs me a lot.” Rolling Stones backbone Commitment His commitment to new work was one of the fac- tors that impressed Lyric’s general director, Anthony Freud. Drummer Charlie Watts dies at 80 “We needed somebody who would honor the achievements of Andrew (retired music director An- LONDON, Aug 25, (AP): Charlie attention of any kind, but with Wyman driver and a homemaker, was born in drew Davis) during his 21 years and at the same time Watts, the self-effacing and unshake- and Richards forged some of rock’s Neasden, London, on June 2, 1941. take us in new directions,” Freud said. able Rolling Stones drummer who deepest grooves on “Honky Tonk From childhood, he was passionate So although Mazzola will open Lyric’s season on helped anchor one of rock’s greatest Women,” “Brown Sugar” and other about music — in particular. He Sept. 17 with Verdi’s “Macbeth,” a staple of the 19th rhythm sections and used his “day job” songs. The drummer adapted well to fell in love with the drums after hear- century repertory, he will also conduct an opera that to support his enduring love of jazz, everything from the disco of “Miss ing , and taught him- premiered in 2018: “Proving Up” by Missy Mazzoli. has died, according to his publicist. He You” to the jazzy “Can’t You Hear self to play by listening to records by It will be staged not in the Lyric Opera House with its was 80. Me Knocking” and the dreamy ballad Johnny Dodds, , Duke 3,276 seats but in a nearby theater that seats just 400. Bernard Doherty said Tuesday that “Moonlight Mile.” Ellington and other jazz giants. Kim also challenges the notion that “opera is for Watts “passed away peacefully in a Jagger and Richards at times seemed He worked for a London advertising high society and a little bit diffi cult to come into.” London hospital earlier today sur- to agree on little else besides their ad- fi rm after he attended London’s Har- “Everybody says opera is old-fashioned,” she said rounded by his family.” miration of Watts, both as a man and row Art College and played drums in in an interview. “I don’t believe that. These master- “Charlie was a cherished husband, a musician. Richards called Watts “the his spare time. London was home to pieces stay with us after 100 years … If we tell the father and grandfather and also as a key” and often joked that their affi nity a and jazz revival in the early story really well, then everybody feels like it’s their member of one of was so strong that on stage he’d some- 1960s, with Jagger, Richards and Eric story too.” Caitlyn Smith performs at the 2021 the greatest drummers of his genera- times try to rattle Watts by suddenly Clapton among the future superstars She’s well aware that the symbolism of her ap- ACM Party for a Cause at Ascend tion,” Doherty said. changing the beat — only to have getting their start. Watts’ career took pointment may be a factor in drawing new customers Amphitheater on Tuesday, Aug. 24,in Watts had announced he would not Watts change it right back. off after he played with Alexis Ko- Nashville, TN. (AP) tour with the Stones in 2021 because of rner’s Blues Incorporated, for whom from the San Francisco Bay Area, with its large and Impact growing Asian American population. an undefi ned health issue. Jagger also performed, and was en- “Whenever I meet audiences after the perfor- The quiet, elegantly dressed Watts He also had an impact on the Roll- couraged by Korner to join the Stones. mance, women and also Asians tell me I am kind of was often ranked with , ing Stones that extended beyond drum- Watts wasn’t a fan at an inspiration for them,” Kim said, “I’m happy if I Variety Ginger Baker and a handful of others ming. He worked with Jagger on the fi rst and remembered being guided can be that kind of fi gure.” as a premier rock drummer, respected ever more spectacular stage designs by Richards and as he ab- Expanding the repertory with new opera is high on worldwide for his muscular, swing- for the group’s tours. He also provided sorbed blues and rock records, notably her agenda, she said, though because of COVID-19 LOS ANGELES: Kanye just wants to be Ye. ing style as the Stones rose from their illustrations for the back cover of the the music of bluesman Jimmy Reed. disruptions to scheduling this season offers only Kanye West fi led court documents scruffy beginnings to international su- acclaimed 1967 “Between the He said the band could trace its roots Tuesday to legally change his name. perstardom. He joined the band early in Buttons” and inadvertently gave the to a brief period when he had lost his one recent work — a revival of “Dream of the Red The Los Angeles Superior Court fi ling Chamber” by Chinese-born composer Bright Sheng. 1963 and remained for nearly 60 years, record its title. When he asked Stones job and shared an apartment with Jag- says the 44-year-old wants to get rid of ranked just behind and manager Andrew Oldham what the ger and Richards because he could live Kim kicked off the season on Aug. 21 with Puc- his full name — Kanye Omari West — cini’s “Tosca,” a warhorse that is a sentimental fa- as the group’s longest album would be called, Oldham re- there rent-free. in favor of just his longtime two-letter lasting and most essential member. sponded “,” mean- vorite for the company. It was the opera that opened nickname, Ye, with no middle name or last Love the War Memorial Opera House in 1932 and the fi rst name. Watts stayed on, and largely held ing undecided. Watts thought that work performed in 1997 after the house was retrofi t- The documents, dated Aug 11 but not himself apart, through the drug abuse, “Between the Buttons” was the actual “Keith Richards taught me rock and ted to withstand earthquakes. sent into the court system until Tuesday, creative clashes and ego wars that name and included it in his artwork. roll,” Watts said. “We’d have nothing To the world, he was a rock star. But to do all day and we’d play these re- “It’s a piece of new beginnings for us,” said Mat- cite “personal reasons” for the change. An helped kill founding member Brian email seeking comment from the attorney Jones, drove bassist and Watts often said that the actual experi- cords over and over again. I learned to thew Shilvock, the company’s general director. ence was draining and unpleasant, and love Muddy Waters. Keith turned me Music directors aren’t the only things that are new who fi led the documents was not immedi- Jones’ replacement to ately returned. quit and otherwise made being in the even frightening. “Girls chasing you on to how good Elvis Presley was, and in San Francisco and Chicago. Both houses have A judge must approve of the change Stones a most exhausting job. down the street, screaming … horri- I’d always hated Elvis up ‘til then.” completed installing all new seating throughout their before it becomes offi cial. ble!... I hated it,” he told The Guardian Watts was the fi nal man to join auditoriums, promising greater comfort, wider aisles West, who has called himself Ye on his Classic newspaper in an interview. In another the Stones; the band had searched for and better sight lines. social media pages for years, tweeted that A classic Stones song like “Brown interview, he described the drumming months to fi nd a permanent drummer Meanwhile, at the Met, Nezet-Seguin will help he wanted the change in 2018, saying, “the Sugar” and “” often began as a “cross between being an ath- and feared Watts was too accom- make history when he conducts the fi rst opera by a being formally known as Kanye West. I with a hard guitar riff from Richards, lete and a total nervous wreck.” plished for them. Richards recalled Black composer ever performed there — Terence am YE.” with Watts following closely behind, Watts found refuge from the rock the band wanting him so badly to join Blanchard’s “Fire Shut Up In My Bones” which is The moniker was also the title of his and Wyman, as the bassist liked to say, life, marrying Shirley Ann Shep- that members cut down on expenses so set to open the season Sept. 27. And it’s just one of 2018 album. He has said in interviews “fattening the sound.” Watts’ speed, herd in 1964 and having a daughter, they could afford to pay Watts a proper three operas composed in the past 10 years that will that, along with being a shortening of his fi rst name he likes, that it’s a word used power and time keeping were never Seraphina, soon after. While other fa- salary. Watts said he believed at fi rst be part of the Met season. (Lyric is also presenting better showcased than during the con- mous rock marriages crumbled, theirs the band would be lucky to last a year. Blanchard’s opera later in its season.) throughout the Bible. West is in the middle of a divorce with cert documentary, “Shine a Light,” held. Jagger and Richards could only “Every band I’d ever been in had Looming over all these plans is the growing Kim Kardashian West, who did not ask when director fi lmed envy their bandmate’s indifference to lasted a week,” he said. “I always threat of the Delta variant and the surge in coro- that her last name be changed back to just “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” from where he stardom and relative contentment in thought the Stones would last a week, navirus cases. All three of the biggest houses are Kardashian when she fi led to split from drummed toward the back of the stage. his private life, which included hap- then a fortnight, and then suddenly, it’s requiring that audiences be vaccinated and wear him in February. The couple’s four children The Stones began, Watts said, “as pily tending horses on a rural estate in 30 years.” masks — and hoping that’s enough to allow perfor- also have his last name. white blokes from England playing Devon, England. For much of his career, Watts re- mances to go on. He has been holding a series of stadium Black American music” but quickly Author Philip Norman, who has sisted the excesses of his bandmates, “The coming years are full of uncertainty,” Freud listening parties for his forthcoming 10th evolved their own distinctive sound. written extensively about the Rolling but he fell into heroin addiction in the said. “But if there’s one lesson we’ve learned in last studio album “Donda,” which is scheduled Watts was a jazz drummer in his early Stones, said Watts lived “in constant mid-1980s. He would credit his stable 16 months, it’s the ability to live with uncertainty.” to be released before the end of August. years and never lost his affi nity for the hope of being allowed to catch the relationship with his wife for getting (AP) music he fi rst loved, heading his own next plane home.” On tour, he made him off drugs. Also: ❑ ❑ ❑ jazz band and taking on numerous oth- a point of drawing each hotel room he “I was warring with myself at that NEW YORK: Carnegie Hall has changed the pro- LONDON: A British judge ruled Monday er side projects. stayed in, a way of marking time until time,” he told magazine. gram for its return from the coronavirus shutdown that songs by punk trailblazers the Sex Pis- He had his eccentricities — Watts he could return to his family. He said With his fi nancial future secure be- and added a Beethoven cycle to the season with the tols can be used in a forthcoming TV series liked to collect cars even though he little about playing the same songs for cause of the Stones’ status as one of Philadelphia Orchestra and music director Yannick despite the opposition of former frontman didn’t drive and would simply sit in more than 40 years as the Stones recy- the world’s most popular live bands, Nézet-Séguin. John Lydon. them in his garage. But he was a stead- cled their classics. But he did branch Watts was able to indulge his passion Opening night on Oct. 6 will be the fi rst perfor- Ex-Pistols guitarist Steve Jones and ying infl uence on stage and off as the out far beyond “Satisfaction” and for jazz by putting together some of mance at the hall since closing March 13, 2020. drummer Paul Cook sued the singer, once Stones defi ed all expectations by rock- “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” by assembling the most talented musicians in Britain Pianist Yuja Wang will perform Shostakovich’s known as Johnny Rotten, after he tried to ing well into their 70s, decades longer and performing with jazz bands in the for a series of recordings and perfor- Piano Concerto No. 2 in place of Rachmaninoff’s block the music’s use in “Pistol,” a Disney- than their old rivals the Beatles. second half of his career. mances. They typically played during backed series based on a memoir by Jones. Watts didn’t care for fl ashy solos or Charles Robert Watts, son of a truck the long breaks between Stones tours. Piano Concerto No. 2 with Nézet-Séguin, Carnegie Lydon said during hearings at the High said Thursday. The program also includes Valerie Court last month that he “heart and soul” Coleman’s “Seven O’Clock Shout,” commissioned opposed the music’s use in a show he by the Philadelphia Orchestra to honor frontline considered to be “nonsense.” He has previ- workers and celebrate human connection; Iman Ha- ously expressed concerns the series will convenient contrivance.” Boyle, the Academy Award-winning bibi’s “Jeder Baum spricht” on climate crisis; and show him in a negative light. “I reject the suggestion made by him director of “Trainspotting” and “Slumdog Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The concert will be Lydon said the songs could not be that he did not really know or appreciate its Millionaire.” broadcast on radio worldwide. licensed without his consent, but Cook and effect,” the judge said. Formed in London in 1975, the Sex Pis- The Beethoven cycle continues on Oct. 20 (Nos. 4 Jones claimed that an agreement dating Cook and Jones welcomed the ruling. tols energized and scandalized the British and 6), Nov. 9 (Nos. 1, 7, and 8), Dec. 7 (Nos. 2 and from 1998 allowed a majority decision. They said the court battle “has not been a music scene with songs such as “God Save 3) and Jan. 11 (No. 9). Judge Anthony Mann agreed the pair pleasant experience, but we believe it was the Queen” and “Anarchy in the UK.” were entitled to invoke “majority voting necessary to allow us to move forward and The band split up in 1978 after releasing Carnegie added several more programs to its rules” as outlined in the band agreement. hopefully work together in the future with one album, and bassist Sid Vicious died schedule Thursday in what still amounts to a season He said Lydon’s claim that he was not better relations.” the following year. The surviving members of reduced performances from pre-pandemic levels. aware of the details or implications of “Pistol” is being made for Disney have reunited for several concerts, most the agreement that he had signed was “a subsidiary FX and is directed by Danny Lydon West recently in 2008. (AP)