Artistic Director Matthias Schulz: Opera is the best exercise in democracy
Published: Sunday, Jul 21st 2024, 04:00
العودة إلى البث المباشر
In times of increasing social discord, opera can take on special functions in the view of artistic director Matthias Schulz. "Opera is a place of encounter, where people experience the same things together and then argue about them in the best sense of the word," the outgoing director of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden told dpa in Berlin before his move to Zurich. "Opera is the best exercise in democracy. Everyone is never of the same opinion about what you see. It's fantastic when there is a constructive debate about it."
In the view of the trained economist and pianist, musical theater should be wary of simplistic approaches. "Opera should not provide simple answers, but should help us to better endure the ambivalences of life," said the 46-year-old. "Something must be done to counter the populism that is everywhere. Life has no easy answers, and opera shouldn't even try to do that."
Drama every day
On stage, Schulz creates extreme human situations in a more abstract form every day. "They are worked through there, every day drama. You can learn a lot from that. As an opera house, you shouldn't give the easy answers, but help people to cope better with these ambivalences and deal with them constructively."
At the end of this season, Schulz will move from Berlin to Zurich. He will take over the directorship of the opera there in 2025. Schulz took over the helm of the Staatsoper in 2018. Much of his time in the capital was characterized by his collaboration with General Music Director Daniel Barenboim, who stepped down in 2023 due to ill health.
Don't use female artists as scapegoats
The opera manager warned against constantly demanding that the cultural sector take a stand. "It is definitely the case that the pressure to take a stand on everything has increased. Both from the outside and from within. What worries me most is this polarization in society," said Schulz.
As an example, he cited the discussion surrounding the engagement of star singer Anna Netrebko, who has been accused of lacking distance from Russia's President Vladimir Putin. "We have to be careful not to use female artists as scapegoats because we can't get to the actual warmonger," said Schulz. "We also have a responsibility not to politicize artists in the wrong way, to ideologize them and to really take a close look." The opera house has repeatedly taken a clear pro-Ukrainian stance.
Particularly high dynamics
The Berlin years have shaped Schulz. "What I have really noticed here is this capital city effect and that Berlin has an incredible spectrum in Europe," he said. "It is a city in which all social developments develop a particularly strong dynamic and have a feedback effect on this institution. The extent to which opera can then also be relevant is shown by the fact that things are immediately reflected."
For the artistic director, opera as an art form has a power that will not be lost in the future. "Something real is created in a space, in real time, which sometimes lasts three or four hours and makes top human performances immediately tangible. I believe that this longing for authentic experiences is on the rise."
Profited immensely from Barenboim
The Staatsoper and he personally have "benefited enormously" from the celebrated conductor Barenboim. At the same time, Schulz notes: "We had the 23/24 season without a General Music Director. For me and the house, it was very important to see how diverse forces have strengthened over the last few years and that it was a wonderful season." The institution is no longer dependent on individuals. "And that's a good thing and the right thing to do."
Schulz justified the financing of the opera world, which is often criticized for being too expensive. "The money invested in culture is also a fantastic investment for many opera houses through indirect profitability," he said. Calls for more third-party funding are fine, he added. "The opera houses are allowed to make their own efforts, but the basic supply must be guaranteed so that bold, risky programs can also be made."
©كيستون/إسدا
Arabic 
English 
German 
French 
Spanish