A Gay Themed Performance
November 30th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Art Songs by Schubert, Poulenc, Tchaikovsky and Saint-Saëns – some of the world’s best composers, and gay.
On November 17, an encore performance of the New York Festival of Song’s (NYFOS) brilliant program, “Manning the Canon: Songs of Gay Life,” took place. The concert was originally presented at the LGBT Center on 13th Street and was given, in a revised version, at Merkin Hall last season. The performance featured art songs from current and past gay composers.
According to Q on Stage, it was a triumph.
I think that, whether or not the audience thought the performance was a triumph, the fact that we have these kinds of performances is a triumph in and of itself. Gay people have real lives, with real emotions and experiences. They experience pain and joy just like everyone else. These composers have captured what it means to live with pain, love, and joy.
I’m getting really tired of constantly defending myself as a gay man, and fighting for rights that other people don’t have to fight for. Being judged and ridiculed gets tiring. Just yesterday I experienced a professor, in class, say that gay sex ‘wasn’t legitimate sex.’ I’m not exactly sure if that’s what he meant, but by the rest of the class’ reaction, I would guess that most everyone else thought he meant that as well. At first I didn’t think much of his comment, but then I actually started getting angry. I wonder if he sensed that by the way I started to stare at him with a slight scowl?
Well, that guy’s a part of the problem for sure. Maybe I should buy him a ticket to the next ‘Manning the Cannon’ concert?
David Walker
