Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

The opera yesterday turned out to be quite topical.  Girls of the Golden West is an ironic title, as the Gold Rush was driven by greed, misogyny and racism.  The three lead sopranos were hanged, treated badly and disillusioned in marriage.  It was no place for women.  And though the opera concentrated on the Chinese, South Americans and African Americans, the most vicious treatment was meted out to Native peoples.  I found the music and story powerful, and tears ran down my face at the end, when Josefa is hanged for defending herself against a rapist.  Blame the victim has a long tradition.  What I love about John Adams' music is the urgency, rhythm and passion.  It's music that pulls at our heartstrings.  We stayed and applauded and shouted, while many around us rushed out to get a head start on the garage line.  Their rudeness a sign of our culture.  I've got a feeling they didn't quite get the message of the story.  Or they did, and couldn't wait to get out and away from it.