I once submitted a question to the Met Opera Quiz - attracted primarily
by the thought of free CDs and DVDs but also the minor fame of my name
being broadcast internationally I racked my brains to think of
something no-one else would had asked. I came up with "Which operas do
you think would end more happily if characters found love with someone
of the same sex?" expecting gently amusing answers such as Don Jose and
Escamillo realising that all they found attractive in Carmen was
equally present (and more reliable) in each other, or Cio-cio San
experiencing love at first sight with Kate Pinkerton, leaving the
love-rat husband weeping in Suzuki's arms.
This made me think more about the number of same-sex relationships that
appear in operas - roughly zero, as far as I am aware. It can't be for
musical reasons. Composers adore writing duets for all combinations of
voice types, whatever the gender mix. Verdi's friendship duets and
father/son conflicts are as passionate as any love scenes, the
Countess/Susanna duet is practically a love letter to each other, and
there is no more clearly expressed mutual adoration than that of the
two Pearl Fishers.
Even when the characters are of different genders composers grasp every
opportunity to write for closer voices: Zerbinetta/Composer, Bellini's
Romeo and Juliet, and that couple in Offenbach's gondola amongst many
others. Despite the musical advantages, the dramatic success of trouser
roles does depend on a certain amount of disbelief-suspension on the
audience's part, particularly in the UK where the traditions of
Christmas Panto seem dangerously close. It doesn't always succeed -
I've read an internet blog that describes how a trip to see
Rosenkavalier left one group thinking it was a story of the
complications of 18th century Lesbian life, and their disappointment at
being told the truth.
And that's all without even mentioning the countertenors. Suffice it to
say that whatever the rest of the show is like, the end of La
Coronazione di Poppea is musically much more satisfying and grimly
creepy with both voices in the same register.
So if opera composers find same-gender vocal duets just as attractive
as the mixed variety, why no genuine love scenes? Especially in operas
set in ancient Rome, where the pigeonholing of sexuality was less
compartmentalised than nowadays. It comes closest in Strauss's Elektra:
her sister Chrysothemis begs her to leave and set up home with her. The
imagery is very passionate and physical, far more than sisterly love,
and a child is mentioned, so presumably a sperm donor would get
involved at some point. Elektra's twisted brain can't recognise the
benefits of this arrangement. If only she'd suggested they move to
Brighton it might have worked.
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In later 20th century opera gay and lesbian characters do appear, but
usually got the same bigoted and paranoid treatment that was the
hallmark of Hollywood cinema. The most obvious examples are Berg's Lulu
and Walton's Troilus and Cressida. Countess Geschwitz (it's even a
horrible name, a kind of cross between 'gossip' and 'sweaty') hangs
hopelessly around Lulu as a source of irritation to her male rivals,
and only gets to express her love after Jack the Ripper's casual
afterthought knife is in her stomach. Pandarus in Troilus and Cressida
is fussy, weak-willed and effeminate, and if not an actual traitor then
certainly incapable of true loyalty. Walton wrote the role for Peter
Pears, and thought it amusing to write faux-Brittenish music for him to
sing - I wonder if they thought so too?
It's usually assumed Britten's operas are about homosexuality - but I
would disagree about that. Sure, they are about troubled social
outcasts: at that time such a metaphor was probably enough, and given
the UK legal position at the time it's hardly surprising. Though Peter
Quint and Miss Jessell may or may not be sexual predators, it's only
because their prey are children that they are more sinister than Nick
Shadow or Mephistopheles. Peter Grimes is a child-beating coward but no
paedophile, and Claggart is just insanely jealous: I don't think
anyone's ever suggested Iago's envy of Cassio's good looks was fuelled
by lust. Only Aschenbach in Death in Venice could be conceived of as
gay (this was after the law had been modernised) yet Oberon also covets
youthful male beauty, and is more successful in capturing it. Despite
being cast as a countertenor (another old metaphor for being gay) he is
still very much Titania's husband.
Tippett bravely introduces a gay couple into The Knot Garden (mixed
race too, for added controversy) but it quickly becomes clear they are
only there to bicker and break up, splintering into the mix of
disturbed singles that populate the rest of the cast. I haven't come
across anything similar in more recent opera, let alone a positive
depiction with a happy outcome or tragi-heroic demise.
Anyway, my question never made it on air in New York, and not, it would
seem, on grounds of poor taste: one recent questioner asked for new
synopses of opera on contemporary events and was rewarded with the
spectacular idea of Elizabeth, Queen of England (sic) being revealed as
Dodi Al Fayed's secret lover who planned Princess Diana's death,
unaware he would also be in the car - the climax would be a huge
confession aria culminating in self-hurling off the Tower of London
into the Thames. The American audience loved it (though the quiz-master
did apologise to BBC listeners!) - in contrast to that the thought of
Rodolfo and Marcello snuggling up together for any reason beyond
shortage of firewood is clearly far too shocking.
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