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Re: approachable (Reply to this comment)
by munkus
Humble apologies for delay in response.
In regards to modern subjects, it is something composers are approaching more and more but with the exception of Adams, not many are successful. I think it's largely the advantage of a historical (or just plain old) subject is you get separation and distance from what you're writing about. One of the absolute worst operas written recently was about Jackie Onassis and felt like a weak attempt at pop-art a la Warhol.
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Apr 24 '06
5:48 pm PDT
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Re: I've made good and read it all. (Reply to this comment)
by munkus
Thank you! I don't know if I'll write much more about opera. I've pretty much exhausted it all out. I might find a new artform to obsess about. Futurism sculpture. Or feminist performance art. We'll see.
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Feb 17 '06
2:49 pm PST
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I've made good and read it all. (Reply to this comment)
by joyfulgirl91
Please don't feel obligated to add me to your WOT for that! That isn't why I read them at all. I truly enjoyed everything you had to say and look forward to anything else you might write in the future, about opera or otherwise. Thank you for taking the time to write these.
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Feb 17 '06
12:44 pm PST
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Re: atomic me tonight (Reply to this comment)
by munkus
Janacek is a dude.
Adams' operas are great. His second one, Death of Klinghoffer, about the Achille Lauro highjacking still gets protests wherever it is performed for much the same reason Spielberg's Munich has caused some controversy. Nixon is groovy, and I haven't heard much of Dr Atomic but everyone is raving about it. He also has an opera-oratorio (the half) called El Nino which is absolutely exquisite too.
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Feb 16 '06
2:10 pm PST
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atomic me tonight (Reply to this comment)
by voxpoptart
Having been away from Epinions during your opera-history series, i'm mainly stunned to learn "There's still new operas being put on and paid attention?" Which is very cool - my Dad raised me to enjoy many forms of classical music, but the world's total shunning of new works has made it hard to care. So, opera singers have other career paths than revivalism and heavy-metal: nice to know.
Also, thanks for reminding me of Janacek's existence. I really enjoyed whatever it was Dad used to play of him, and should use your tips to re-explore.
cheers,
- Brian
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Feb 16 '06
1:36 pm PST
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Re: This..... (Reply to this comment)
by munkus
And I have been very much obliged to your consistency in reading and commenting! Much obliged indeed.
Versalle wasn't the first death on the Met stage- Leonard Warren died of a huge stroke in 1960 during a performance of Verdi's La forza del destino and, this is the best bit, the line he was just about to sing was 'to die, a momentous thing' before he convulsed and fell to the stage choking.
One thing musicals have that operas don't is the reprise. Quite often at the climax of a musical the composer will suddenly draw upon everything he's used before. This is quite a neat trick because it provides conclusion, but for some reason opera composers have always thought it cheating. In Porgy, Gershwin uses reprises to an almost silly degree- Summertime is sung three times by three different characters. Some of Gershwin's pure orchestral writing is weak, and is better replaced by spoken dialogue. With all the music left in, it is also a bit too long. It is quite common to cut up to 45 minutes of it, which makes it more manageable, and speaking text is a lot faster than singing it.
Nowadays, the cuts are usually left in for a tighter show, but opinion is still divided as to perform it as an opera or a musical.
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Feb 16 '06
5:08 am PST
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Re: I Have Never - (Reply to this comment)
by munkus
Yeah I've thought about it to be honest but considering I'm only 23 I reckon it'd be hard to convince publishers that I can write about opera. Unless I got all gimmicky about it, which I don't think I'm that in to.
Thanks for reading them all though! Much appreciated!
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Feb 16 '06
5:01 am PST
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This..... (Reply to this comment)
by millinocket
Janacek's The Makropulos Case, about a mysterious woman who never ages....... Richard Versalle sang the line 'too bad you can only live so long' then promptly died, onstage, of a swift heart attack.
......is freakish and creepy, yet somehow fascinating. Is the line cursed now?
But I think I'll take some Berg, if only for the pubic lice and body count.
Now, a question, oh mentor. What are some of the differences between the opera and musical versions of Porgy and Bess? Is there a definition of each form that is for the most part followed?
Now, on to your readership - I count for at least three people, what with inane questions and never ending comments, so it must be higher than that.
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Feb 15 '06
9:11 pm PST
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I Have Never - (Reply to this comment)
by Granniemose
known much about opera, but I have thoroughly enjoyed your essays, and I have learned from them.
You know, Munkus, you are a writer. You have substance, humor and imagination which is everything a good writer needs in my opinion. I seriously hope you start submitting your work to publishers. The trick is to get somebody willing to read them because in the United States most publishers won't except anything unless it is by an established author.
Virginia
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Feb 15 '06
8:38 pm PST
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Re: . (Reply to this comment)
by munkus
It is where my heart lies, but funnily enough this installment is the one I'm least happiest with- it feels too much like a shopping list for me except for a brief diversion into Nazism (always good for a laugh).
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Feb 15 '06
2:23 pm PST
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. (Reply to this comment)
by trust12345
Looks like your heart is in this period (judging if only by word count)... mine too. You mention the alien jazzy bits in Lulu, but there's also some extreme ragtime in Wozzeck, that piano stomping away in one rhythm and key while the orchestra moans and groans in another world... sublime degeneration right there.
Looking forward to your overview of 21st C opera, and beyond.
-Juan
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Feb 15 '06
11:04 am PST
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Re: Thanks for this - (Reply to this comment)
by munkus
If you read the whole series, I will add you to my WOT out of genuine gratitude! They took forever to type (not to mention looking up all those years) and I think they have a readership of three.
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Feb 15 '06
5:56 am PST
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Thanks for this - (Reply to this comment)
by joyfulgirl91
You've given me something much more constructive to do with my insomnia than deciding whether or not I will buy my toddler some Elmo toys. I would have added you to my WOT - but then I saw your profile and thought it would feel kind of cheap to just see you add me to your own out of politeness, so I'll just keep you on alert. I'm going to go back to the beginning and read the rest of your opera history this afternoon, I enjoyed this so much.
Jessica
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Feb 15 '06
5:56 am PST
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