'The Death of Klinghoffer' Debuts to Hecklers and Applause
Despite much controversy, and protests, the Metropolitan Opera presented “The Death of Klinghoffer” Monday night.
The 1991 opera by American composer John Adams is based on the true story of the murder of Leon Klinghoffer. He was a Jewish passenger in a wheelchair who was killed during the 1985 hijacking of a cruise ship by members of the Palestine Liberation Front. Critics consider the work to be anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.
Philadelphia Inquirer classical music critic David Patrick Stearns attended the performance and said the crowd reacted extremely well, especially when the composer took the stage.
"This production is much clearer, it's much less abstract, it's much more representational," Stearns said. "I think in general it tells the story much more clearly so that with any luck there's much less misunderstanding as to what the opera is trying to say."
Before the show, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Lincoln Center, chanting "Shame on the Met." They were joined by several politicians, including former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
The Met defends the production, saying that "Klinghoffer is neither anti-Semitic nor does it glorify terrorism." But it went ahead and canceled its live theater and radio broadcasts of the work, saying it might trigger anti-Semitism overseas.
