Black- and Asian-led take on Wagner in Midlands aims to open up opera access
“We’re not trying to be tokenistic. We’re not trying to be woke,” says Jackson. “What we’re trying to do is say, ‘Look, if people can see that they have role models from their very communities, that have been disfranchised or underserved, that should inspire people to come and be part of the process.’”
(Next breath)
“We’re not trying to dumb it down. Yes, this is about engagement and accessibility, but also not undermining the credibility of people’s work,” he says. “It sings better in German for one, but we also want to challenge people and improve their musicianship.
“Quite a few people have been put off by the fact that it’s Wagner,” he adds, especially as it is often seen as a “country house opera” and “high art”. “Getting people involved in the artistic process has been challenge.”
Rehearsals have been taking place in Smethwick and Handsworth, both areas known for vibrant south Asian and African-Caribbean communities, which he hopes will help introduce it to new audiences – along with the fact that it is black- and Asian-led, or ethnically led, as he describes it.
“What is ethnically led? We’ve never had an opportunity in this country to define what we mean by non-white,” he says. “And actually it’s not getting to the core root of the problem, which is we still don’t have a healthy ecology of a baton-passing between homegrown black and diverse artists.”
Not satire. The Guardian.
https://amp.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/jul/07/black-asian-led-wagner-ope...