Ok another opera. In this case created not by the composer but again by the administration. During the rehearsals I hear nothing about art but only if it will sell. It doesn't actually matter if it does or not. Just by being performed it already is a success. The Muralization continues.
So...
Not a bad idea for an opera and the composer has a good feeling for harmony. The story is told.
Naturally I found some problems.
- Simple linear story telling.
- Addition of a love story that doesn't quite mesh.
- Musically the beginning has all the fireworks.
- The end fizzles.
- Overall Its musically unbalanced. This could be fixed. Better to end with the male chorus singing a rousing tune.
- Melody? No tunes at all. A very conversational setting.
- When their are tunes they were composed by someone else.
- All the vocal line are derived from the harmony either hetrophonic or arpeggios with the occasional upper neighbor note. --All out of the harmony.
- The voice never leads the voice never has the melody. So the characters are never in charge of their music even the bad guys.
- The music does not tell the story it frames the story.
- The registers are too high for the singers. The scansion is good but the registers and the multi-language setting make it still hard to understand.
- Instrumental approach to character --their vocal part does not explain them, their accompaniment tries to but all the accompaniments are similar. Only events get noted.
- All the parts have the same vocal lines just some are even higher. See Les Miz.
- The use of quotation is not persuasive.
- The layering of old quotations and new original music seems a simple effect. Its been done.
- In fact there is much sophisticated simplicity at hand. Too many long notes in the strings. To many long held chords.
- Character is not clearly defined because of the outside in approach.
- The scene is described by the accompaniment not by the singers. Cinematic approach. Music as underscoring as framework for something else.
Well, heads or tails?
addenda:
The MN critics loved it, but that was expected. Just as the MN audience always give a standing ovation to everything. I stand by my thoughts.
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