Is it OK when an opera singer tries to look a bit Egyptian when singing Aida?

[weaver2]

Egyptians aren't even black now, they're Arabic. I'm old enough to remember when Arabs were considered white/Caucasian. The "woke" and their precursors have tried to separate them out, of course, in order to isolate their villains, the white anglo-saxons, Germanica and Scandinavian peoples.

Aida was an Ethiopian Princess. Ethiopian women today are among some of the most strikingly beautiful models.
Ethiopian model


Anna Netrebko in blackface


Netrebko (not in blackface) singing Aida in NYC at the Met

Apparently blackface is not a requirement for Aida's make up. Arena di Verona chose Anna Netrebko's made up.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

Aida was an Ethiopian Princess. Ethiopian women today are among some of the most strikingly beautiful models.View attachment 67414497
Ethiopian model

View attachment 67414501
Anna Netrebko in blackface

View attachment 67414506
Netrebko (not in blackface) singing Aida in NYC at the Met

There are beautiful women in every nationality and ethnic group. Nobody knows what Aida really looked like. And, I have a hard time with Netrebko being referred to as "blackface," just because her skin is darkened for a role. Blackface involves mockery and insult, like Al Jolson with big wide-eyed expressions, exaggerated lips and features, etc. Blackface is a caricature or a cartoon, not just "looking the part." It's more like Robert DeNiro gaining 50 pounds to play the fat Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull. He wasn't mocking fat people. He was playing a role.

 

[KevinKohler]

Is it OK and politically correct when an opera singer tries to look a bit Egyptian when singing Aida?

Here is the case:



https://www.classical-music.com/new...-response-to-anna-netrebko-blackface-scandal/

A bit more Egyptian?

She has blackface on. The US has a dark history concerning this, so I'd wager most Americans are going to say no, this is not OK.

But then, I also...don't REALLY care too much about opera, and the wardrobes and makeup they employ.

 

[Rumpelstil]

Not yet, but they own so much of the educational system, that it's really getting bad. Report this on the news, and it'll come out just about "16 out of 25 people are white supremacists..." lol

Yes - this woke-nonsense and this 110 percent idiotic "political correctness" rear their ugly heads more and more everywhere.

 

[Rumpelstil]

Aida was an Ethiopian Princess. Ethiopian women today are among some of the most strikingly beautiful models.View attachment 67414497
Ethiopian model

We know all that.
Which makes it all the more stupid to protest against so-called "brown-facing"

 

[Rumpelstil]

There are beautiful women in every nationality and ethnic group. Nobody knows what Aida really looked like. And, I have a hard time with Netrebko being referred to as "blackface," just because her skin is darkened for a role. Blackface involves mockery and insult, like Al Jolson with big wide-eyed expressions, exaggerated lips and features, etc. Blackface is a caricature or a cartoon, not just "looking the part." It's more like Robert DeNiro gaining 50 pounds to play the fat Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull. He wasn't mocking fat people. He was playing a role.

Exactly! Very well said!
But woke people are much too fanatical and narrow-minded to be able to see sense.

 

[Rumpelstil]

Anna Netrebka in my old home town, in Baden-Baden

 

[Rumpelstil]

And only a tiny minority of 3 out of 26 say: No.

 

[Rumpelstil]

What next?

If we bad white people are getting a sun tan in sommer, will we then be accused of brown-facing?
I would not be surprised of some over-woke fanatics have already said so somewhere somewhen.

 

[Rumpelstil]

Is it OK when an opera singer tries to look a bit Egyptian when singing Aida?​

For "Egyptian" please read "Ethiopian" or "Abyssinian" or whatever you like.

So:

Is it OK when an opera singer tries to look a bit Ethiopian when singing Aida?​

 

[Fledermaus]

@Rumpel

Maybe no one cares.

Spam some more and perhaps you get the numbers you want.

 

[weaver2]

For "Egyptian" please read "Ethiopian" or "Abyssinian" or whatever you like. So: Is it OK when an opera singer tries to look a bit Ethiopian when singing Aida?

Sure, it is OK when an opera singer tries to look like an Ethiopian. Here's a real Ethiopian



This is a Russian. She claims the make up makes her look Ethiopian. Does she look like she was trying to look like the woman above

 

[The flaming lib]

What a whole bunch of crap you libs are obsessed with

 

[weaver2]

Maybe no one cares.

Racism can only exists of when no one cares. If blackface isn't racist then why did Rumpel start this thread?

 

[reinaert]

Here's a clue: Denzel played a fine Macbeth w/o any zinc oxide rubbed all over his face.

 

[Rumpelstil]

Anybody is allowed to play and act anything.
Woke people would insist that only Eskimos will be allowed to play an Eskimo - aka an Inuit - as woke people like to say in their infinite fanatism and stupidity ....

 

[Rumpelstil]

Racism can only exists of when no one cares. If blackface isn't racist then why did Rumpel start this thread?

Blackface my be whatever it is - but what Netrebko did was no blackfacing.

 

[Fledermaus]

Racism can only exists of when no one cares. If blackface isn't racist then why did Rumpel start this thread?

I was speaking to his vote count spam present in practically every poll he opens.

 

[JH Oldoc]

And btw: Egyptians are not black, so you cannot talk of "blackfacing" anyway.
If it is anything, then it is "brownfacing".

Yes, except that Aida is/was Nubian not Egyptian.

 

[JH Oldoc]

Anybody is allowed to play and act anything.

...but shouldn't Aida be play'd only by an actual Ethiopian Opera Singer?

 

[weaver2]

I was speaking to his vote count spam present in practically every poll he opens.

OK sorry for snarking.

 

[weaver2]

Blackface my be whatever it is - but what Netrebko did was no blackfacing.

This is Netrebko singing Aida at the Metropolitan in NYC. It should be noted that she made a scene over not being able to wear blackface for this performance.



Netrebko singing Aida at the Arena di Verona in blackface. Netrebko herself has called this blackface.
" In 2019 when she (Netrebko) posted a picture of herself as Aida on Instagram, a fan asked whether the Blackface was necessary, to which Netrebko replied, “I am NOT gonna be white AIDA”, and “Black Face and Black Body for Ethiopian princes, for Verdi greatest opera! YES!”

‘Everywhere in the world used to have Blackface’ – opera festival defends Anna Netrebko controversy

Anna Netrebko is starring as Aida in the Verdi opera of the same name at the Arena di Verona’s summer festival, and the Italian venue has defended its decision to darken the soprano’s skin for the role.

www.classicfm.com

You can protest that this is not blackface makeup all you want, but everybody that knows anything about American racism recognizes it as blackface. Anyone that knows anything about Minstrel Shows recognizes Ms Betrebko's make up as blackface. Anyone hat knows anything about opera knows you don't have to wear blackface to portray the tragedy of Aida as evidenced by Netrebko herself in that role at the Met in NYC without blackface. (see picture at top of post)

 

[Rumpelstil]

You can protest that this is not blackface makeup all you want, but everybody that knows anything about American racism recognizes it as blackface.

So?
Do they?
I am not American.
To my knowledge "blackfacing" was used to mock and insult black people.
Do you suggest that it was Mrs. Netrebko's intention to mock and insult the Ethiopean people and the fictional character of Aida, the Ethiopean slave?

 

[Rumpelstil]

...but shouldn't Aida be play'd only by an actual Ethiopian Opera Singer?

That would mean that an Eskimo can only be played by another Eskimo.
That a Greek may only be played by a Greek.
That a Roman may only be played by a Roman.
Etc etc etc ....

 

[JH Oldoc]

That would mean that an Eskimo can only be played by another Eskimo.
That a Greek may only be played by a Greek.
That a Roman may only be played by a Roman.
Etc etc etc ....

...and a homosexual a homosexual, and a murderer a murderer.....

Yeah well, I forgot to enable the sarcasm font again.