"The List": What's In and Out for 2012

Since longer than I can remember, the Washington Post has had a New Year's tradition of publishing what it calls "The List", a pitiless compilation of what's considered hip, trendy and happening (that would be the "In" stuff), juxtaposed alongside what's tired, old-hat and tediously passé (the "Out" stuff).  I've spent all morning (how's that for devotion and taking pains, huh?) seeing if I could create a similar-yet-opera-themed list.  (Note:  the annoying thing about writing an opera blog is that, you know, all one's essays have to be about, you know, opera.  Oh well, beats writing about politics...)

The results of this hour's worth of intensive labor (hey, it's the holidays, cut me some slack here...) follow below, but first some explanations:

• Some "out" entries reflect not so much lack of relevance as lack of, well, continuing to be alive.
• Some entries are specific to Virginia Opera.  You'd have to be familiar with us to fully appreciate those, perhaps.

And here we go:  it's  ....   THE LIST.

IN:  Philip Glass as dean of American opera composers
OUT:  Carlisle Floyd as dean of American opera composers 

IN:  HD Met Opera Transmissions at your cineplex 
OUT:  PBS "Great Performances" of Met Opera performances on your TV

IN:  Jonas Kaufmann
OUT:  Juan Diego Florez

IN:  Satyagraha
OUT:  Ravi Shankar

IN:  Wearing jeans to the opera
OUT:  Wearing furs to the opera

IN:  Fabio Luisi
OUT:  James Levine

IN:  Placido Domingo, baritone
OUT:  Placido Domingo, tenor

IN:  Giant tongues in Hansel and Gretel (Met style)
OUT:  Gingerbread houses in Hansel and Gretel (Met style)

IN:  Seedy carnivals in Hansel and Gretel (Virginia Opera)

OUT:  Gingerbread houses in Hansel and Gretel (Virginia Opera)

IN:  Follies

OUT:  A Little Night Music


IN:  Gerald Barry's The Importance of Being Earnest
OUT:  Christopher Theofanidis' Heart of a Soldier

IN:  Jackie Evancho

OUT:  Charlotte Church

IN:  Vittorio Grigolo

OUT:  Andrea Bocelli

IN:  Il Divo

OUT:  The Three Tenors

IN:  Drab, lifeless Met Opera productions directed by people who aren't opera directors

OUT:  Lavish, colorful Met productions which are greeted with cheers instead of boos.

IN:  Anna Netrebko

OUT:  Apparently, all other sopranos. Sheesh.

IN:  Successful $1 million challenge grant at Virginia Opera

OUT:  Freezing all expenses and cutting per diem payments at Virginia Opera.

Gotta love that last one!  It makes for a particularly...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!