Following Jeremy Ward's apparent suicide last week, the Metropolitan Opera House has made the decision to temporarily close its doors, also putting an early end to Ward's debut show. Peter Gelb, the general manager, thought it best to provide a quick close to the piece in hopes the family would find closure easier. "Allowing Der Freischütz continued to run after Jeremy Ward's tragic death would be both haunting and unsettling. We at the Metropolitan Opera have chosen to close our doors for the time being in honor of this event and those in mourning," he stated at a press conference Monday, March 7th.
Meanwhile, Sam Bardem has stepped forward to direct the upcoming show, titled Incenerite Spoglie. The piece, which was also written by Bardem, is a postmodern opera sung in English following the lives of two rival orchestra directors who happen to be childhood friends. Visually, the opera reads like film noir as characters, dressed to the nines in 1930s suits, take puffs from cigarettes between arias.
Bardem has written and directed several operas before Incenerite Spoglie. However, they were self-funded and appeared off of Broadway in venues such as warehouses and even a parking lot. Bardem is known by his contemporaries for his passion for the art form and his struggle to bring it into modern times by making it accessible while also challenging and relevant. While Bardem admittedly admires Ward Senior's contribution to modern opera, he does not plan to work as closely with popular culture as Ward was famous for. In a private interview with Bardem over the weekend, he explained his intentions. "While I want opera to be widespread, I also want it to be taken seriously. I want it to be a modern art form without becoming a brand name or a commodity. Without Richard Ward, opera would not be receiving the attention it is now. I simply plan to steer it in its own direction."
Incenerite Spoglie is set to open at the Metropolitan Opera Saturday, May 21st.
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