An Evening with Art Lovers

It was raining hard and quite cool for June, Yet, the evening was memorable at so many levels. A former chairman of the board of Calgary Opera invited us and another couple for dinner at their palatial home. One half of the other guest couple was a former senior executive of a large bank and a colleague of the hostess on the opera board. What I was doing in this distinguished gathering is not such a mystery; my wife is a well-known physician, a supporter of arts and a wonderful company. Obviously my presence was not a large enough negative in this instance as it often is.

The cocktails and hors de oeuvres were excellent and dinner was superb. But they could not match the brilliance of conversation. Our normal dinner companions talk of nothing but the families, as indeed we do with them. However, the families were not mentioned on this occasion even in passing. It was all about the exotic places in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, books about the travel and Arts, lamentation on how television and movies have descended to the nadir to cater to the lowest common denominator; and finally about the hardship opera companies were facing all over North America. Not being an artist and only superficially interested in Arts and Literature I found this far above my comprehension but I have learnt that silence and occasional nod can keep me from being noticed, it can even create a favourable impression. Good conversation is the art of listening to others without interruption, whether it makes sense or not and making your contribution when appropriate. With five people around the table carrying their share of this burden so admirably my presence was really of no account. Perhaps they did not have any expectations being well aware of my ignorance in the matters of culture, not to say social inaptitude in elevated circles.

During a discussion on the impact of HDTV transmission of performances from Metropolitan Opera in New York a suggestion was made that this may be the final nail in the coffin of opera companies in smaller centres. Why would any one pay a hundred dollars for a relatively mediocre performance of one of the ten operas presented by these companies routinely when they could choose from a wide variety on offer with top artists and world’s best orchestra on the screen as wide as the opera stage for ten dollars? Looking not so far into the future, how long will these transmissions be patronized and when will the death knell of major operas ring are questions related to a larger question: Is the all consuming passion with social media and absorption with personal lives of media celebrities rather than with their real artistic achievements coupled with absolute neglect of classical music in school systems an harbinger of the death of music and opera as art forms when the current generation passes the torch to the next one? Coward that I am, I did not raise this issue although it crossed my mind. It may also be my tact, although I am not known for having any sense of it, more so the realization that devoted supporters of Arts are not ready to face the eventuality of such a tragedy yet, which, if I may be so bold, or foolish depending on your opinion of me, makes this all the more likely.