A: this guy is funny
J: the dude from queens or whatever?
A: licitra
J: yeah he is a goof
A: eesa no gonna turn out so good for Gustavo
A: i really want to see Death in Venice live
J: yeah I'd like to as well
J: I left my sirius on overnight and half woke up when it started at 6AM this morning
A: i think it may be really amazing, but it is sort of hard to grasp it listening
A: or I find at least
J: have you ever seen the movie?
A: no
J: it's in my top 5
J: it's pretty incredible
A: whoa
A: who directed it?
J: there's all this blasting mahler
J: Visconti
A: ah
A: i will netflix it
A: who plays aschenbach?
J: Dirk Bogarde
J: there isn't much dialogue at all
J: it's mainly music
A: huh
A: neat
A: there is a really good section about Britten in A Ross' book
A: which has made me want to get my Britten in order
J: oh swell
J: this Ballo is assy
J: she's decent I guess
J: he sounds like a ragged pop singer
A: yeah
A: weak
J: hah the Death in Venice plot keywords on imdb:
J:
• Very Little Dialogue
• Man Boy Love
• Pedophilia
• Beautician
• Train Station
• Prostitute
• Make Up
• Hourglass
• Beauty
• Homosexual
• Plague
• Gay Interest
• Beach
A: yikes
J: "Beach"
J: Plage, Death, Pedophilia, Nice Sunny Day
A: ha
A: What's Death in Venice about?
A: Oh, it's kind of a beach movie
J: hah
10 comments:
The problem with the opera version, as opposed to the movie version, is that the music isn't by Mahler at all.
No love for Britten?
Not a lot. I like parts of Billy Budd and am going into Grimes, having heard it only on disc, somewhat optimistic. But Death in Venice is just two hours of sold ugly in my book. It's on my list of things I don't need to see again in this short life.
solid, that is. Not "sold."
"Was it pretty when you bought it?" "Nope. It was sold ugly."
Oh, come now! Death in Venice has a pile of gorgeous passages, up to and including all the exotic percussion passages Britten wrote.
I saw DinV in London last fall. Aside from the hot Tazio, the rest of the production was a bore. Even though Ian Bostrige is supposed to be all that, I couldn't understand a word he said. I think the music must grow on you - for a first time DinV attendee it seemed rather dreamy and dull.
Can someone send a search party for Sieglinde? Where has she been?
I've seen Death in Venice live twice, in two radically different productions: Colin Graham's second MET production which was austere and gorgeously directed in an abstract concept, and a more romantically realistic Glimmerglass production. In both, the music made great sense and the piece was riveting.
When I first heard the score via recording, I couldn't quite get into it--in the theater I was overwhelmed by its beauty.
Will:
Good to hear...I think a lot of 20th century work really requires a live airing. Most 20th century operas are really modern theater in a way that what came before isn't, so hearing the disembodied versions doesn't really cut it. Granted, it's kind of inconvenient as far as wider adoption goes...
Agreed, Alex. Opera (which I have maintained firmly to be theater since age seven) was inextricably joined with theater in the 20th century in a way that infuriates a lot of "traditionalists" in the audience. If they had to experience Gluck and Wagner as those visionaries REALLY originally intended, they'd hate them as much as they do Britten, Zimmerman, Schoenberg, Berg and so many others.
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