Clanging Emptiness

In Fellini’s 1983 film “And the Ship Sails On,” a luxury ocean liner departs to scatter the ashes of a deceased opera singer. Like the big ship in the film, an opera house inevitably reflects the sociopolitical situation around it. When decadent, they inevitably fail. Yet the occupants of an opera house can fall into a whole host of deadly sins—pride, sloth, envy, gluttony—without ever facing punishment. Especially when it comes to the most established houses, it can be hard to see from the outside whether the ship is gliding along majestically or heading for an iceberg. Right now, the Hamburg State Opera seems to be doing both.