Italian opera legend Andrea Bocelli told People magazine that he was “surprised” by “fellow artist” Timothée Chalamet’s disparagement of the values of opera and ballet on Variety & CNN Town Hall, adding that both art forms are very much alive and come from the “same source” of filmmaking and human emotion.
“I think we tend to distance ourselves from things that we haven’t truly encountered yet,” Bocelli says. “Opera and ballet are art forms that have continued to speak to the human heart for centuries, because they respond to a deep need for beauty, truth and emotion. They are not art forms of the past, but living languages that can still move us, make us think, and connect different generations.”
Bocelli is considered one of the great modern authorities in opera singing and sold more than 90 million records during his lifetime. Chalamet, a five-time Grammy nominee, kept inviting people to his opera performances if he wanted to learn more about the medium.
“I am confident that a sensitive performer like Timothy, who understands the power of emotion, will one day realize that opera and dance come from exactly the same source,” he added. “If he is interested, I would be happy to have him as a guest at my concert. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes of listening to this music live to understand why it has been loved all over the world for centuries.”
Bocelli is not the first person in the opera world to hit back at Chalamet’s viral comments. Several opera houses around the world responded on social media, with most inviting the “Marty Supreme” star to their shows. On February 5, London’s Royal Ballet and Opera House shared footage of their craftsmen and performers on Instagram, apparently in response to Chalamet. The post’s caption read: “Every night, thousands of people gather at the Royal Opera House for ballet and opera. For the music, for the storytelling, and for the pure magic of live performance. If you want to reconsider (Timothée Chalamet), our doors are open.”
To quote Chalamet’s full conversation with Matthew McConaughey on Town Hall: Completely Unknown’s Chalamet emphasizes the role of movie theaters in the modern entertainment environment. He said the popularity of “serious movies” like Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” shows audiences are still looking for nuanced storytelling that’s perfect for the big screen, but he also understands that “some people want to be entertained quickly.”
“I’m right in the middle of it, Matthew,” Chalamet said. “Because I respect people, and I’ve done that myself, to go on talk shows and say, ‘We’ve got to keep movie theaters alive. We’ve got to keep this genre alive.'” And there’s another part of me that feels like if people wanted to see it, like Barbie or Oppenheimer, they’d go out of their way to see it and be loud and proud about it. And I don’t want to work in ballet or opera or something like, “Hey, please keep this alive.” Even though it’s like no one cares anymore. I salute the people of ballet and opera. Ratings only dropped by 14 cents. ”
