I attended a traditional show in what is probably this company's usual base, a medium-sized, classical theater. It was enjoyable largely because it was so exceptionally old-fashioned. Poland was the nearest I have ever been to being in a time capsule. Under the communists you couldn't open even a barber's shop without the party hierarchy's permission. As a result, nothing appeared to have changed since the Russians took over in the 1940s. This had its own curious charm, at least for outsiders. And the organizers have stated that what we are to see in Taipei will be "rather traditional" productions. The advance photos bear this out. It seems a pity that the less well-placed opera companies don't seize the opportunity to make a dramatic breakthrough in production techniques.
Innovative high-tech productions, for instance, don't need to be expensive and, with the addition of shamelessly amplified sound, the effect of grand opera could be achieved without the huge numbers of participants usually required. This is the way opera is bound to go sooner or later. Why don't these smaller operations seize the initiative and become ground-breaking pioneers?
History has often shown progress coming from people in a tight fix making a virtue of necessity. The Poles, and others like them, could vault into the forefront in this way, and as a bonus earn themselves a place in the history books.
So, are this month's visitors worth a try? On balance it seems right to give them the benefit of the doubt. With such an ambitious program, the signs are that the indomitable Polish spirit could well win through.
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