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This site is a special place for my students, friends and colleagues. I will share thoughts, and I will also share musical examples on this site.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Imagination

I wonder where it has gone. It isn't showing it's pretty little head much these days.

One of my former students, Taylor Bridges, has a beautiful, smart, and quick witted girlfriend. But when I was last there (in NYC), she commented how she hated that the leads in the operatic version of Romeo et Juliette is too often played by older singers. She couldn't stand the idea of something that did not "look" realistic. Kinda knocked me aback.

First, the role of Juliette is much heavier than the first act aria suggests. When she is presented with the sleeping potion, she has to sing a pretty dramatic scene. A soubrette, or lyric coloratura ain't going to have an easy time of it with that big orchestra. No matter how hot she looks.

But hey, let's not worry about that. We need our Hollywood fix. We need to make sure that Clare Danes is Juliette and Leonardo di Caprio is Romeo. It has gotta LOOK right. That is all that matters.

Keep giving us garbage. You know, Emmy Rossum as Christine, Andrew Lloyd Webber as a composer. We have become so lazy minded that we do not want to be confronted by the incredible emotions that opera makes us stare down. We just want Moulin Rouge. Just entertain us. Do not make us look into ourselves. Do not make us think. Just give us pecs, boobs, and pretty faces.

We don't have time for anything else.