‘Death of Klinghoffer’: Protests in New York, but not in other places

The Metropolitan Opera’s opening of “The Death of Klinghoffer” on Monday in New York has resurrected the long-running controversy surrounding the 1991 John Adams opera. With its depiction of the 1985 hijacking of the cruise ship Achille Lauro by Palestinian terrorists and the execution of Jewish American passenger Leon Klinghoffer, the opera is an artistic tinderbox with political dimensions.

In recent years, however, the cloud hovering over Adams’ opera had dissipated, and the piece has been performed with far less commotion.

Long Beach Opera presented “Klinghoffer” in March in a staging from the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. No protesters appeared in person, but the company did receive a fair amount of feedback, according to artistic and general director Andreas Mitisek.

“Within the Jewish community, we had people who said that they didn’t know what the fuss was about, and others who said they were offended,” Mitisek said. He said the feedback came from post-performance discussions with audience members.

The Anti-Defamation League expressed the concerns of Klinghoffers’ two daughters, Mitisek said, so Long Beach Opera included those concerns in the program notes. (The Met is doing something similar for its run, printing a letter from the daughters in which they say the opera rationalizes the actions of terrorists.)

“I think it’s important to hear both sides -- why are you offended and why do you think it’s balanced,” Mitisek said. “I think it’s the best thing that the arts can do -- to make people talk about things.”

The Met’s staging of “Klinghoffer” is a co-production with the English National Opera, which unveiled the new staging in 2012. The London staging saw a lone protester on its opening night, according to reports.

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis presented its staging of “Klinghoffer” in 2011. The production didn’t see any protesters, but the Missouri company engaged in community outreach and discussions in conjunction with the opera.

“Klinghoffer” is set to run at the Met through Nov. 15. This summer, the company announced its decision to cancel a November simulcast of the opera to cinemas following a meeting with the Anti-Defamation League.

Adams criticized the decision, releasing a statement that says it “goes far beyond issues of ‘artistic freedom,’ and ends in promoting the same kind of intolerance that the opera’s detractors claim to be preventing.”

Twitter: @DavidNgLAT