stumbled upon this while looking for some more info on Bolcom...
http://www.newworldrecords.org/linernotes/80588.pdf
Monday, March 29, 2010
Where have all the heroes gone?
We talked a bit about the lack of heroes in modern opera and what reasons might be behind their disappearance. I would argue that the heroes haven’t actually disappeared, they are just wearing new costumes and have decided against the capes.
In just about every good story, there is a protagonist, and an antagonist. There is change, a climax, and finally an ending. I think the biggest difference between stories of old and new are in our choices to fill the main roles. We’ve gone from stories of fantastical, mythological gods and demons, to the gods and demons we face in our everyday lives.
Bolcom’s story is no different. While all the characters are people we might know in our everyday lives, it isn’t so much about who they are at the beginning of the story as it is who they are at the end. The changes we watch them go through, the situations we see them live through, how they develop and cope makes them our heroes and villains.
With Bolcom’s A View from the Bridge, we find ourselves aligning against Eddie and rooting for Catherine and Rodolfo. These characters are not the archetypes we grew accustomed to seeing on the stage. They are not “black hat” and “white hat” characters. They are grey, how light or how dark that shade of grey is would be all that separates them as heroes or villains. We identify with them because they are so much closer to the things we know. Their clothes, they way they talk, even the uncomfortable situation they are all involved in is familiar, even if we haven’t actually experienced it.
I believe that stories like these set to music that is sensitively composed the way Bolcom’s is will be the future of American opera. I feel like Bolcom’s music is reminiscent of the type of music we would find on Broadway when musical theater was young. It gives us something that is easily accessible and unlike foreign opera, allows us as a culture to identify with it.
In just about every good story, there is a protagonist, and an antagonist. There is change, a climax, and finally an ending. I think the biggest difference between stories of old and new are in our choices to fill the main roles. We’ve gone from stories of fantastical, mythological gods and demons, to the gods and demons we face in our everyday lives.
Bolcom’s story is no different. While all the characters are people we might know in our everyday lives, it isn’t so much about who they are at the beginning of the story as it is who they are at the end. The changes we watch them go through, the situations we see them live through, how they develop and cope makes them our heroes and villains.
With Bolcom’s A View from the Bridge, we find ourselves aligning against Eddie and rooting for Catherine and Rodolfo. These characters are not the archetypes we grew accustomed to seeing on the stage. They are not “black hat” and “white hat” characters. They are grey, how light or how dark that shade of grey is would be all that separates them as heroes or villains. We identify with them because they are so much closer to the things we know. Their clothes, they way they talk, even the uncomfortable situation they are all involved in is familiar, even if we haven’t actually experienced it.
I believe that stories like these set to music that is sensitively composed the way Bolcom’s is will be the future of American opera. I feel like Bolcom’s music is reminiscent of the type of music we would find on Broadway when musical theater was young. It gives us something that is easily accessible and unlike foreign opera, allows us as a culture to identify with it.
Singer-Actor or Actor-Singer?
I really enjoyed this week’s discussion on William Bolcom’s “A View from the Bridge.” In particular, the article we read between Bolcom and Herwitz was of particular interest. Being able to see the way Bolcom approaches his artistic endeavors gave wonderful insight to his compositional process.
I didn’t really know too much about Bolcom before reading the article, so it was especially interesting to read about his musical theater background. The fact that he was looking for actors who could sing for his “actor-operas,” rather than the other way around, was enlightening. We spend so much time on our craft really trying to hone a beautiful sound, that we sometimes forget the other side of our art. Opera singers have been accused for so long of just parking and barking. It would explain the stigma placed on us as a whole. Even Bolcom talks about opera singers and their “airs.”
It is great to have a chance to toss the stereotype out the window. I think many of us in the business know that the voice should come first and foremost before any other considerations, but what is the voice without the drama behind it? It’s one thing to know how to match a pitch, it is quite another to know how to sing in such a way that people are moved by what you’re doing. Our professors would put it down to “having something to say.” I believe this is what Bolcom was looking for when casting his operas.
I would be interested to know what Bolcom would say about the educational institutions singers come from. We put a lot of focus on our musical training, but I feel like many of us are lacking in acting skills. I don’t mean that we don’t understand the emotions or the type of characters we are portraying. It’s more about the movement on the stage, and the carriage than anything else. I would love to see an equal focus on singing and acting in our operatic educations. After all, we are “singing actors,” are we not?
I didn’t really know too much about Bolcom before reading the article, so it was especially interesting to read about his musical theater background. The fact that he was looking for actors who could sing for his “actor-operas,” rather than the other way around, was enlightening. We spend so much time on our craft really trying to hone a beautiful sound, that we sometimes forget the other side of our art. Opera singers have been accused for so long of just parking and barking. It would explain the stigma placed on us as a whole. Even Bolcom talks about opera singers and their “airs.”
It is great to have a chance to toss the stereotype out the window. I think many of us in the business know that the voice should come first and foremost before any other considerations, but what is the voice without the drama behind it? It’s one thing to know how to match a pitch, it is quite another to know how to sing in such a way that people are moved by what you’re doing. Our professors would put it down to “having something to say.” I believe this is what Bolcom was looking for when casting his operas.
I would be interested to know what Bolcom would say about the educational institutions singers come from. We put a lot of focus on our musical training, but I feel like many of us are lacking in acting skills. I don’t mean that we don’t understand the emotions or the type of characters we are portraying. It’s more about the movement on the stage, and the carriage than anything else. I would love to see an equal focus on singing and acting in our operatic educations. After all, we are “singing actors,” are we not?
Saturday, March 6, 2010
D-D-D-DIVA!
What is it about the diva that makes us want to watch her? Interestingly, we all have a very distinct idea of what the word entails. According to my Encarta dictionary on Word a diva is: 1. Woman opera singer. A distinguished singer, especially one who sings in operas. 2. Successful woman. A successful woman performer. Now we KNOW this is NOT what “diva” means to us. The etymology of the word actually comes from the Latin feminine for god, “divus.” I would think that’s a little closer to what we have in mind.
A diva has confidence and attitude. She is strong and intelligent. No one dares tell her what to do. She encompasses all the qualities that are that we identify as being part of the masculine gender while maintaining her femininity. She is an object to be obtained, an obstacle to be overcome for men. At the same time, she stirs jealousy in the same women who wish they could be her.
It is all of these things that make her such an attractive character for the stage. She can practically carry a story completely on her own. We briefly touched upon La Bohème in class and how Mimi would be completely uninteresting if not for her music. Yes the story revolves around her and Rodllfo’s relationship, but she herself would not be strong enough to carry the opera by herself. However, put someone like Musetta next to her, and now we have a show! Not only are we attracted to her, but everyone else in the opera is as well! Her entrance alone is enough to make us all want to know more about her. Never mind the fact that she has one of the best known arias known to mankind (whether they realize it or not!). On the other hand, we have characters like Tosca or Violetta (La Traviata) who immediately capture the stage (and our attention) with their beauty and strength of will.
As I mentioned in class, this is a trend that has spread across all types of media. Where once we played video games or read stories where the guy saves the girl, we now have the girl saving the guy! – and sometimes even the world! The funny thing is that these heroines, while being amazingly strong in character and capable of amazing feats, are still clothed in their sexuality and femininity. After all, Lara Croft runs around with her gunbelt slung around Daisy Dukes and a cutoff T-shirt.
It seems that where once mental instability made the idea of the diva more acceptable, now the idea of the unattainable has done the same.
A diva has confidence and attitude. She is strong and intelligent. No one dares tell her what to do. She encompasses all the qualities that are that we identify as being part of the masculine gender while maintaining her femininity. She is an object to be obtained, an obstacle to be overcome for men. At the same time, she stirs jealousy in the same women who wish they could be her.
It is all of these things that make her such an attractive character for the stage. She can practically carry a story completely on her own. We briefly touched upon La Bohème in class and how Mimi would be completely uninteresting if not for her music. Yes the story revolves around her and Rodllfo’s relationship, but she herself would not be strong enough to carry the opera by herself. However, put someone like Musetta next to her, and now we have a show! Not only are we attracted to her, but everyone else in the opera is as well! Her entrance alone is enough to make us all want to know more about her. Never mind the fact that she has one of the best known arias known to mankind (whether they realize it or not!). On the other hand, we have characters like Tosca or Violetta (La Traviata) who immediately capture the stage (and our attention) with their beauty and strength of will.
As I mentioned in class, this is a trend that has spread across all types of media. Where once we played video games or read stories where the guy saves the girl, we now have the girl saving the guy! – and sometimes even the world! The funny thing is that these heroines, while being amazingly strong in character and capable of amazing feats, are still clothed in their sexuality and femininity. After all, Lara Croft runs around with her gunbelt slung around Daisy Dukes and a cutoff T-shirt.
It seems that where once mental instability made the idea of the diva more acceptable, now the idea of the unattainable has done the same.
Fit for the grand opera stage or direct to DVD?
We discussed in class what we might find to be suitable topics for operas. I have to say that I would LOVE to see a lot of stories brought to life on the grand stage. I think the suggestion of children’s stories or Grimm fairy tales would be absolutely amazing – and a great way to get young people into the audience along with their parents or grandparents who want to share their love of opera. I’m not saying Harry Potter will make an amazing opera…but hey, maybe Lord of the Rings would…
We’ve already seen Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and some others make it onto the stage. I’m wondering what it might be like to put something like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty to music. Most contain characters we see in many operas: the ingénue, the diva, the hero, the dastardly villain, sometimes even a witch. In fact, a lot of the stories that Disney picked up on would make amazing operas as evidenced by their successes as musicals on film. They didn’t all translate very well onto the musical stage, but I wonder what folks might do if they had a little more sophisticated stage sense. If done correctly, I think they would more than satisfy Olivia’s visual requirements.
For example, The Little Mermaid. Mimic the swimming on wheels? Not sure that was the best idea. However, something along the lines of what we saw done with Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust might make the underwater scenes a little more believable. Sleeping Beauty would also make an amazing opera. Considering it was the only Disney movie with a bona fide opera singer in the lead charming the little forest animals with her song. And come on. Who wouldn’t want to hear Maleficent sing something absolutely INSANE?! Diva? Anyone? The staging done for Verdi’s Falstaff would work wonderfully well with the period settings and clothing. Just try and tell me Nanetta’s “Sul fil…” setting in the forest isn’t something right out of one of these books.
There’s a reason we all love these stories. They have a certain allure to them that never really goes away even when we’ve grown up and have been thoroughly disillusioned. They provide us with a temporary escape from the everyday. We all want to be reminded of those days before reality set in, to be given the opportunity to giggle and gape in awe of the spectacle unraveling before our eyes. I would definitely be front and center to experience one of these done well.
We’ve already seen Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and some others make it onto the stage. I’m wondering what it might be like to put something like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty to music. Most contain characters we see in many operas: the ingénue, the diva, the hero, the dastardly villain, sometimes even a witch. In fact, a lot of the stories that Disney picked up on would make amazing operas as evidenced by their successes as musicals on film. They didn’t all translate very well onto the musical stage, but I wonder what folks might do if they had a little more sophisticated stage sense. If done correctly, I think they would more than satisfy Olivia’s visual requirements.
For example, The Little Mermaid. Mimic the swimming on wheels? Not sure that was the best idea. However, something along the lines of what we saw done with Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust might make the underwater scenes a little more believable. Sleeping Beauty would also make an amazing opera. Considering it was the only Disney movie with a bona fide opera singer in the lead charming the little forest animals with her song. And come on. Who wouldn’t want to hear Maleficent sing something absolutely INSANE?! Diva? Anyone? The staging done for Verdi’s Falstaff would work wonderfully well with the period settings and clothing. Just try and tell me Nanetta’s “Sul fil…” setting in the forest isn’t something right out of one of these books.
There’s a reason we all love these stories. They have a certain allure to them that never really goes away even when we’ve grown up and have been thoroughly disillusioned. They provide us with a temporary escape from the everyday. We all want to be reminded of those days before reality set in, to be given the opportunity to giggle and gape in awe of the spectacle unraveling before our eyes. I would definitely be front and center to experience one of these done well.
Branagh's Magic Flute has arrived!
So...
Following Danielle's cue on this, I found the Flute and have it downloaded. If anyone's interested in having a peek, let me know.
Following Danielle's cue on this, I found the Flute and have it downloaded. If anyone's interested in having a peek, let me know.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Branagh's Magic Flute
So I found a copy of Magic Flute online available for download...
The connection doesn't look so great, so it might just take a little while to get the whole thing. However, if anyone is interested in a copy, please let me know. I will keep you updated on when I have the complete file!
The connection doesn't look so great, so it might just take a little while to get the whole thing. However, if anyone is interested in a copy, please let me know. I will keep you updated on when I have the complete file!
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