The triumph of Otto Schenk

A long life well spent doing what we love is more than most of us can hope to get anywhere near. Otto Schenk, who died a few weeks ago aged 94, took that trophy; his career as a director (and sometimes performer) of opera stretched over considerably more than half a century. Many of his productions – ‘traditional’, or ‘hackneyed’, according to taste – continued in repertoire for decades. Schenk’s face was set very much against the cultural wind of his times. We have much to learn from his life.

His 1972 TV movie version of Die Fledermaus – based on his very long running production at the state opera house in his native Vienna – is a masterpiece. I say movie, but it was recorded on videotape rather than film. It’s the best translation of opera from opera house to living room, as it’s made like a TV drama, with cameras swooping and zooming, close-ups and cuts.