Culture wars take stage at Glyndebourne as it turns woke ear to classic operas

Mozart, Puccini, Verdi and Benjamin Britten all face screening for offence to modern-day audiences

GLYNDEBOURNE will rethink how it stages “offensive” historical operas as part of a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

The leading opera company has pledged to tackle “historical opinions and social assumptions” in canonical works, including their “exoticism and orientalism”.

It will continue to stage classic operas but staff will seek advice on how best to mitigate content that “may offend audiences today”.

The pledge comes amid a broader reevaluation of the operatic canon, with works such as Mozart’s Così fan tutte accused of misogyny, and Puccini’s Turandot and Verdi’s Aida accused of including outdated depictions of Asian and African characters.

A statement on its website says that some of the operas the company has staged “reflect the society and norms of previous ages, containing historical opinions and social assumptions which may offend audiences today”.

It adds: “Where once exoticism and orientalism in the presentation of noneuropean cultures was acceptable, we recognise through our modern lens that this was wrong then and is wrong now.

“Moving forward we are committed to re-evaluating our approach to creating opera and interpreting its stories.”

The online message warns audiences about the contents of its extensive video archive, which will remain available despite the pledge to re-evaluate how future productions might be staged.

This will involve consultation with outside experts on what could be offensive or upsetting in historical operas. Any possible artistic changes intended to address causes of offence will be made on a “case-by-case basis”. If

Glyndebourne follows the example of venues such as the Royal Opera House, these changes may involve casting, costume or set design to avoid racist depictions of non-european characters and overly exoticised or “orientalist” depictions of places such as Japan and China.

Turandot has been criticised for its orientalist view of China – and having characters stereotypically named Ping, Pang and Pong; Aida for depictions of its titular Ethiopian princess, historically done with “blackface make-up”.

Potentially offensive material may not be limited to race, as some have accused Così fan tutte of being misogynist in its depictions of men betting on the faithfulness of women, and Benjamin Britten’s Rape of Lucretia hinges on an act of sexual assault.

Glyndebourne’s previous efforts include a partnership with Pegasus Opera, which offers mentoring for singers of African and Asian heritage, and the scheme Balancing the Score, which helps people from backgrounds underrepresented in operatic composition.