LA Opera has canceled the planned world premiere of Mason Bates’s opera “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay,” citing financial constraints. Originally intended to debut at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the opera will now have four performances at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music before moving to the Metropolitan Opera in the 2025-26 season.
Why it matters:
- Financial Challenges: LA Opera’s cancellation of the world premiere highlights the ambitious and costly nature of the project, emphasizing the financial challenges still faced by opera companies despite a return to pre-COVID audience levels.
- Collaborative Adaptation: The collaboration between LA Opera and Met Opera reflects a flexible approach to new works, allowing adjustments and improvements based on earlier performances before the premiere at a major opera house. However, this risk-mitigation strategy is not risk-free as opera companies stage costly new works.
- Even Stars at Risk: Bates is one of the most prominent composers in America today, having won a Grammy for “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs” and with works performed by the Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony, and others.
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