Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a Russian novelist who lived and wrote in the latter half of the nineteenth century. He is considered by many to be the greatest writer since Shakespeare who has a profound understanding of human beings. Dostoyevsky was immersed in the modern world and gives a depiction of a world of modern horrors. His work is extremely dark. He could see the coming Russian revolution a half a century before it occurred, with its millions of victims. He was obsessed with the irrational actions of man. Raised in a religious home that studied the Bible and knew the lives of the saints, he later left the faith and became a socialist and atheist. He was, as he says, a product of the times. Arrested for being a revolutionary he was sentenced to death, sent to Siberia, placed in front of a firing squat, black sack over his head, ready to die. The guns never fired. The men had received a reprieve from the Czar. He returned to the Faith, changed his political views from revolutionary against the state to revolutionary Christ and the truth. His last five novels deal with human nature at its best and its worst.
Opera as an art form is a relative newcomer, making its first appearance at the end of the sixteenth century. Its origins were an attempt to revive Greek theater. The ancient manuscripts were readily available, but there was no record of the music. All Greek plays were sung. Thus the effort began to take classical stories and set them to music. Opera is a sung play. By the early 1600’s, opera had spread throughout Europe. Extremely popular. Because of the cost of these productions, only the wealthy could afford the ticket price and opera became upper class entertainment. The real explosion of opera occurred in the nineteenth century with a string of talented composers, Wagner and Verdi in particular. The German influence in opera colored the Italian form and compelled Verdi to come out of retirement, team up with librettist Boito, and put Otello on stage in Milan in February 1887. It was an immediate success. Opera appeals to the senses, to the emotions. Everything in opera is seeking an emotional response. Verdi’s Otello is a romantic story instead of the dark tragedy by Shakespeare. For example, Desdemona is an entirely different woman in both versions, trickster verses innocent victim.
Notes From Underground is a new type of literature. It defines Dostoyevsky as a modern author. There is no hero of gigantic stature. Our narrator is an antihero, loaded with contradictions. It is difficult to get a sense of what is going on. The story is a narrative; first in the present and then back to the past. In retrospect, the book is an understanding of why Russia was coming apart. It is a vision of a society having a nervous breakdown. Just as an individual can break down, so can a society. This novel began as a parody of another novel What is to be Done that is loaded with all the pet theories of the day. This was the book to read if you wanted to be a revolutionary. Lenin loved this book. Dostoyevsky was appalled at the direction his country was heading. The three principles in vogue: First, a complete and total reliance on reason. Reason alone can solve all problems. Second, absolute determinism. Everything is determined scientifically. Third, determinism will produce a happy society. When the censors edited the book, they left the rantings of the main character; bur removed all references to Christ and the role of suffering.
Dr. Samuel Johnson said that opera is the most irrational of all the arts. The human voice is forced to do things it is not designed to do. It is odd. At the same time, using song to make dramatic statements is powerful. Nothing like it. No other art form can do this: the human voice in song is joined with musical instruments to make an emotional point. Aside from the given difference between the theatrical stage and the operatic stage, the key difference in Shakespeare’s Othello and Verdi’s Otello is the belief in Original Sin. Shakespeare’s characters are complex because it tells of eternal truths. Othello is a courageous man who falls from grace; Desdemona is a virtuous woman who makes errors of judgment, yet remains virtuous. Iago is a likeable fellow who has pure evil in his heart. All these characters have the capacity for good and evil. They have a choice, a free will. Otello on the other hand reflects nineteenth century romanticism. It is emotional, sentimental. The contrasts are bigger. Good is white, evil is black. Nature itself is corrupt, thus we are corrupt. A post-Darwinist view of man and the world.
This is a question and answer session. Opera is an acquired taste, it takes time and effort to learn and appreciate. It helps to see live productions to appreciate opera. Opera enjoyed it highest popularity in the nineteenth century because of its ability to appeal to emotion. But after World War I, opera began to fall in popularity due in part to the advent of cinema, but also, after the horrors of the war, open direct emotion was just not possible. The senses of the world were overwhelmed and there was no room for opera. Cinema became the new art form. Similar to a theater but without live actors, this curious entertainment captured audiences. Cinema at best is a second rate art. It is wholly dependent on technology. It is also the sole realm of the director who manipulates the scenes to show us exactly what he wants. Television is also manipulative. It is difficult to manipulate a book or a play. A book requires the active participation of the imagination to flesh out the words. A live stage production is direct interaction with the actors and the audience. The best art is active art, where we engage with the art.
How should a Catholic relate to art? The Church has always had an uneasy relationship with the arts. She recognizes the capacity of the arts to teach the Faithful. Christ, for example, taught principally through parables. However, Christ is the perfect teacher; fallen man is not. The influence of the Church in Western art is prominent including theater, which traces its origin to the Mass. Modern music began with Church music. The greatest art is connected to worship. Thus the Church seeks a sensible balance between the good that come from art and its risks. Art must do two things: educate the faithful and entertain. Art is also an act of creation, one of the characteristics of our Creator. The risk in art is that it can loose its focus to elevate. For example, when the Church approved or disapproved of movies through the Index, Hollywood paid close attention. The movie industry was compelled to produce excellent (and moral) productions to gain Church approval and financial success. Once the Church abandoned its proper role of judging movies, the quality of movies fell. The finest art is always Catholic in its ideology, even if it is not produced by a Catholic.
