White paper on creativity - ebla center

Chapter 13not high, although the last two yearssurveyed show a recovery, suggestingthat specific investments in educatingthe public (which are totally missing inItaly) could achieve interesting results.In a mummified sector in which littleimportance is attached to new works, thecreative aspect is concentrated on thefigures of the performers, especially theconductors and singers, on one hand,and the stage directors and designers ofsets and costumes, on the other. This is acompletely natural process which to acertain extent takes into account theevolution in audiences. The approach tointerpretation is based on respecting theoriginal works and adapting the finalproduct to the cognitive and perceptiveexpectations of contemporary audiences.The need for this kind of artisticlanguage may involve risks, such as themere transposition of the whole opera tonot strictly pertinent places and periods.Such justifiable decisions can, however,if pursued superficially, contribute to theperception that opera is difficult tounderstand – a condition from which ithas suffered in the last few decades.The awareness that the wider public isfairly unfamiliar with opera has also ledsome producers to emphasisespectacular aspects by makingproductions in which the aim is to createa unique event going well beyond thecore cultural values of the operation:thus, for example, we have a productionof Aida among the pyramids of Giza inEgypt, or a television production ofTosca set in the period and placesdescribed by the libretto in a striking mixof hyper-realism and special effects.These initiatives reveal a certain distrustin potential audiences and their criticalcapacities. In the attempt to attract newopera-goers or convince current ones, itis believed that “scandal” is an essentialingredient in capturing their interest.Opera is given very little space in themass media. There are someprogrammes exploring opera and liveperformances are broadcast on RadioTre RAI, but television only hosts a fewshort programmes shown at night. In therecent past two popularisingprogrammes of opera criticism lxxiiattempted to establish a new relationshipbetween opera and television, but theywere never followed up. Operas havealso been staged in mass venues such aspublic squares, and more recently,football stadiums, without leading to asystematic approach to promoting theirdiffusion. There was a major briefseason of Puccini operas at the OlympicStadium in Rome, a place familiar to thewider public and therefore capable of“reassuring” potential audiences aboutthe enjoyable nature of the experience.These good-standard productions ofwell-known operas supported bytechnology capable of guaranteeingacceptable acoustics managed to attractvery large audiences – proof of the stillunexpressed potential of the demand foropera. Obviously it is not enough simplyto attract large audiences to these nonconventionalevents. There is a need toencourage the audiences in publicsquares and stadiums to attend thewinter opera seasons by offeringadvantageous conditions and sogradually consolidate their interest in thegenre.WHITE PAPER ON CREATIVITY 300