A very brief guide to the world’s first ‘mindfulness opera’
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Version 0 of 1. Name: Lost in Thought. Age: New. Appearance: You know, um … well, it’s an opera. Rotund people in horned helmets prancing about and singing foreign? Don’t be a philistine; that stereotype only describes the vast majority of operas. When this one premieres in September, it will be something quite different: “the world’s first mindfulness opera”. Ye-es. “World’s first” is one of those phrases that sounds exciting, but is not actually that hard to achieve. I can think up some more right now: behold, the world’s first dog ballet! And the world’s first cheese sofa! I’d think a dog ballet would be extremely difficult. All right. Bad example. And this opera isn’t just any old idiot’s idea: it’s a coproduction between two esteemed bodies, the Barbican arts centre and the experimental Mahogany Opera Group. For four hours, the singer Lore Lixenberg and seven musicians will perform music by Rolf Hind and “accompany the audience on an inner journey of mindfulness, with periods of meditation, rest, communal eating and a gentle yoga session”. I like the sound of the rest part. Look, it’s easy to scoff … Particularly during a communal eating session. OK. But it’s important to let artists try new things. As the Mahogany website says, “each of our distinct projects aims to stretch the boundaries of what opera can be and who it is for”. I know exactly who opera is for. Oh yes? Other people. You make me sad. What is mindfulness, anyway? I keep seeing that word everywhere. Yes, it has become an extremely popular idea recently. Some claim that it can help reduce stress and anxiety for people who feel like they’re on a treadmill, constantly just getting things done. Yes, but what is it? A Buddhist principle that you should live inside the sensations and feelings of the moment rather than focusing on future goals or things that happened in the past. Wait, I should live inside which moment? The present moment. But that’s just passed. I know. It takes some practice. You’ve got to learn to live in this exact moment as it’s happening. Missed it again! Argh! I’m so annoyed right now! There you go. Do say: “Om.” Don’t say: “If mindfulness means living only in the present, how do I go about booking tickets for September?” |