The Spell of Live Performance
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The Spell of Live Performance: HD Opera and Liveness Today by Mihaela Irina A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Cultural Mediations Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2016 Mihaela Irina ABSTRACT This thesis looks at HD opera events, with the purpose of revealing how they reshape our understanding and usage of the concept of liveness. The popularity of The Met: Live in HD series in the last decade inspired other art companies (theatre, ballet, and even museums) to follow the same model and broadcast live in movie theatres. Together they seem to have shifted both our understanding of, and attitude towards, liveness. The discussion about liveness in the last century has revolved around the distinction between live and recorded, and around the co-dependent opposition between original and copy. Recently, liveness and the discourse about it have been influenced by a now blurry distinction between live and recorded, and by the emergence of online media. The emergence of HD events, which reposition liveness in a rediscovered environment – the movie theatre –, brings liveness to a new theoretical impasse, which I am tackling in my thesis. My investigation follows liveness through the lens of the long debated relationship between classical music and technology. I approach this relationship by having a close look at the production and reception of live broadcast events, starting with the radio in the 1920s, and focusing on HD opera as a new medium. Furthermore, I identify trends in how liveness is constructed, evaluated and perceived, taking into account the fact that over the decades, the understanding of liveness evolved with media usage, and also within its cultural and social context. My research shows that liveness as a concept does not stand and evolve only in relationship with the production and reception of live broadcast events, and as constructed by broadcasting media, but that it is ii rather continuously shaped and redefined by its rapport with what I call liveness practice, a set of expectations and practices related to liveness that are common to all mediated events, and acknowledged by consumers as such. I claim that, by encompassing public venues, HD events expand our concept of liveness practice. Consequently, they render liveness in classical music as a fully accepted alternative to live performance. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to all those who contributed to this PhD dissertation, whether directly or indirectly. First and foremost, I want to thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. Paul Théberge. From the first discussions about my project, Dr. Théberge encouraged me to think freely about my topic and about the directions where my research could go. Under his direction, the interdisciplinary exploration of my topic was not only exciting, but it seemed to build itself naturally. His expertise in the history and theory of sound technology, as well as his approach to popular music culture proved invaluable to my efforts to contextualize HD events. During our meetings, Dr. Théberge always opened new theoretical windows for me, guiding me to look at the issues at hand from a multitude of enlightening angles. I always left his office feeling optimistic; the discussions with Dr. Théberge made my work seem suddenly richer. His amazing ability to efficiently challenge my evolving views on the topic offered me the confidence to write with honesty and passion. It was a privilege to have had the opportunity to work under his guidance. My thesis would not be so multifaceted without Dr. Marc Furstenau’s contribution. At the time of my enrollment in my PhD program, academic interest in the Met in HD series was almost inexistent. I was hesitant about focusing my research on the topic, but I decided to bring it up for the first time in an academic setting during a discussion with Dr. Furstenau. He immediately embraced the idea, and through a series of skilful questions he helped me transform my interest in a very exciting term paper topic, which eventually became the topic of my thesis. Over the next years, Dr. Furstenau’s iv continuous interest in my work and his encouragement helped me in key moments of my program. During our reading course together, I was so inspired by his passion for media studies and technology and by the dynamic discussions driven by it, that my perspective on my thesis topic shifted from a primarily musicological and aesthetic approach to a media centred one. As a member of my committee, he reminded me to think philosophically about media and technology, and to ask simple but highly relevant questions, advice that guided me throughout my writing process. I am indebted and really grateful for all his help and support. I came across Dr. Paul Heyer’s work on the HD series at a time when academic writings on the topic were very scarce. His insightful work came as a much needed academic framing of the HD events, which thus contributed to the validation of my own approach. His support of my research throughout the years made a world of difference during my thesis work. Dr. Heyer kindly offered me a plethora of relevant materials and made sure that I am aware of important live broadcast events and subsequent criticism. Moreover, he frequently offered his honest and fresh take on Met-related events as they were unfolding. Our dialogue was a continuous supply of interesting ideas, many of them reflected now in my thesis. Sharing the same passion and having him on my side gave me the feeling of belonging to a small academic community interested in HD events. That kept me motivated in my work and away from feeling isolated as a researcher. I want to express my deep gratitude that he accepted to be a part of my committee and for his support during all these years. I am very honoured to have had Dr. Martin Barker as my external examiner and Dr. James Wright as my internal one. Special thanks to both of them for their valuable v insight. Dr. Wright, together with Dr. Mitchell Frank, Dr. Peter Hodgins, and Dr. Jill Carrick offered help and support during my activity at ICSLAC and in the Music Department, greatly contributing to my very fruitful and enjoyable PhD experience. I also want to thank Dr. James Deaville. I still remember our first discussion about PhD studies long back when I was an international MA student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He talked to me about pursuing a PhD program like it was the most natural thing in the world for me to do. His encouragement and praise of my academic abilities and English writing skills played an important role in my decision to continue my graduate studies. His mentoring is thoroughly appreciated to this day. Finally, I want to thank the ICSLAC community as a whole, especially to those who designed the Cultural Mediations program. I consider myself very lucky to have had the experience of a PhD program that accommodated my multidisciplinary interests so well. I enjoyed every course, every reading, and every term paper I wrote. And I definitely had a lot of fun writing my thesis and learning more about myself in the process (and even more about the challenging weather in Ottawa…). Such a great journey would not have been possible without the hard work of all the passionate people at ICSLAC. Thank you all. vi Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………..ii Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………....iv List of Tables…………………………………………………………………...…viii Introduction………………………………………………………………………..1 Chapter I: Music and Technology: The Value of Live Performance…………15 1. The Emergence of Live Performance as a Unique Event……………………....16 2. Live Performance Today………………………………………………………..26 Chapter II: Classical Music and Live Broadcasts in the 1920s………………..35 1. Classical Music and Radio in the 1920s…….……..……………………………37 2. Reception of Classical Music Live Broadcasts………….……………………...46 a. Radio challenges the status of classical music: the democratization of classical music b. Radio challenges classical music listening practice: live classical music in the home Chapter III: HD Opera as a New Medium…….……………………………….76 1. Opera and Visual Media….……………………………………………………..77 2. The Nature of HD Opera………………………………………………………..90 a. Emergence, goal, and technology b. HD opera and other visual media c. HD opera and social media 3. Novelty and Innovation in HD Opera…………………………………………114 Chapter IV: Liveness in HD Opera……………………………………………123 1. Construction of Liveness…….…………………………….…………….…….124 2. The Role of Liveness in the Reception of HD Opera….……………….….…..135 3. Liveness and HD Opera Criticism….………………………………….….…...148 4. The Impact of HD Liveness on Classical Music Culture….……………..……162 Chapter V: Liveness Practice Today….……………………………………….175 1. In Between Live and Recorded: Liveness Practice….………………………...176 2. The Power of Liveness….……………………………………………………..195 Conclusion….……………………………………………………………………205 Bibliography….…………………………………………………………………..226 vii List of Tables Table 1. Martin Barker’s findings on liveness…………………………………..184 Table 2. Several theoretical approaches to liveness showing the complexity of the concept.………………………………..195 viii Introduction In 2006, the Metropolitan Opera in New York started to broadcast successfully its productions in movie theatres. They are now reaching over three million spectators in 64 countries. Today, many opera houses around the world follow the Met in HD series model and broadcast their productions. Moreover, pop concerts, sports events, theatre, ballet, and even museum exhibitions can be enjoyed on cinematic screens around the world, which shows that live broadcasts of cultural events in movie theatres have become viable and popular in less than a decade. The key feature that connects all these events and actually constitutes the attraction of this constructed new medium is the fact that they are live. The visual technology used in the movie theatre is not completely new, nor is the location a new venue; what is new is the valuable experience of liveness enjoyed in the familiar public space reserved for many decades now for recorded materials – movies.