Reviewers, opinions and opera

By -

Philip Glass is famous and being famous he is under the scrutiny of critics. There will be people that will enjoy his works under the auspice of, "He's famous; he must be good." And there are people who will chide him with "He just does the same thing over and over and over again."

The Metropolitan Opera's most recent product is "Satyagraha" based on the life of Mohandas Ghandi and written by Philip Glass. As religious and political worlds collide with the Olympics in China and the protests concerning the fate of Tibet, this opera couldn't be more timely. Ghandi, a man devoted to peaceful protests and intense meditation is portrayed in minimalist music, repetitive motives that attempt to create a trance like state. How could you find fault with these concepts? And yet...

Critics seem to have taken these polar opposites in terms of their reviews of this production. Ronald Blum, an Associated Press writer, speaks of the music as "an aural jackhammer" pounding the listener into submission. However, Jeremy Eichler, a Boston Globe staff writer, finds the score having a "subdued grace, sensual richness, and hypnotic power." Mark Swed, of the LA Times, says, "To sit in the large, tasteless house in Lincoln Center and, after hours of, say, Wagner, fall under the spell of a soprano or bass as the midnight hour approaches is, for many of us, the definition of opera."

This production is the Metropolitan Opera premier of "Satyagraha", even though it was written in 1980 and is a shared production with the English National Opera. When it was produced in London last year where it received a review from Agnes Kory for MusicalCriticism.com. She spoke of the "stage spectacle well worth seeing. It is entertaining, fascinating and informative. However, it is debatable whether Glass' composition, described as his second opera, can be regarded as opera." Ben Hogwood, of musicOHM.com, wrote of the same production feeling "the opera was a moving, calming experience, yet it transmitted an inner energy, rather like a meditation session - a power that should not be underestimated."

Publicity is a good thing, sometimes. Press can make or break a production. On Broadway, a musical, playing to sold out crowds, can end up closing in a few weeks if it fails to win a Tony - or can close after a few nights if even one reviewer roasts it over the coals. Yet, writers have to have thick skin to make it in this business. Even the most famous are subject to criticism, and will have their detractors. The hope is to write something that enough people enjoy, gaining a measure of success - to eventually become part of the standard repertoire for opera houses around the world. Because, writing a piece isn't enough if it never gets performed.

As Eddie and I prepare to present a work in progress with "It Must Be Fate," we approach the production with the idea that this is what we think opera today ought to be - not what people say opera is. We are attempting some new things in terms of what has done before, both in terms of music and story concept. However, being new doesn't mean it will be enjoyed. Glass' concept of repetitive music has seen both approval and abhorrence. Not everyone believes in Fate, but that doesn't mean she doesn't exist…

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Role of Music in Opera

By -
There are numerous books on the topic, and every composer, librettist, director, singer and audience member has their opinion as to what role the music should play in an opera. In a play without music, the words ought to support the meaning behind a character's actions. However, in the case of action movies, often times the action is what tells the story and there aren't words, just images to forward the plot. We might hear music to accompany action, build tension, but the action tells the story. Musicals tend to speak until the emotion of the moment just "has" to break out in song - unless it's something like "Mama Mia" where the dialog is the rails we travel on between songs; the songs themselves, written before the concept of the musical, are the focus of the production, while the story is secondary. Operas are a different beast. The music provides emotion to the words spoken, but it also plays the role of ambience when there is only action. In &quo
Read more

Episode 210b: Joyeuse le départ

By -
Image
Podcast:  Play in new window  |  Download Subscribe:  Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Google Play  |  Stitcher  |  TuneIn  |  RSS Provost Cunningham has Transmigrated, but to where! What is Dr Sage going to do with his body? And how can she bring home her friends, Abigail and Erasmus, without also bring home Cunningham? What are they going to say when they find the “skeleton” she’s hiding in her closet? Cast: Eddie Louise Clark  as Dr Sage Chip Clark  as Professor Savant Justin Bremer  as the Narrator Emily Riley Piatt  as Abigail Entwhistle, Calypso & Dean Stewart Written by  Eddie Louise Theme music by  Unwoman Sound Design by  Chip Michael
Read more

The Art of String Quartets by Brian Ferneyhough

By -
Image
When an artist sets paint to canvas, there are brush strokes used for different effects. Sometimes those strokes are subtle, imperceptible; they produce works of art like the Mona Lisa . Other times the very obvious nature of the stroke is the art, as in works by Van Gogh. With some composers of music, the notes on the page are their craft. How those notes translate into an aural experience is what defines some composers as great artists. Brian Ferneyhough has a masterful command of the techniques of putting notes on the page. These techniques are sometimes so subtle, even though written in black and white, they escape detection. Some of what he attempts with his music is just that, to escape detection, to bury the framework, diverting the ear away from the structure, so only the music is heard . The subtlety is so fine it is almost imperceptible. Even though he studied at several institutions, he is considered self-taught, studying scores from Boule
Read more