Wherefore Art Thou Opera?
OUNOD'S version of Romeo and Juliet was the most recent "Music from the Theatre" at 3YA; and a more fearful and wonderful mixture of wholly incompatible art-forms I never heard. Large chunks of the original Shakespeare were delivered in the actors’ best "ye olde blanke verse" manner by way of helping us to follow the plot; and interspersed throughout were other chunks of Gounod’s music, including Mercutio’s "Queen Mab" speech as a yodelling aria and incredible goings-on in the balcony scene. Please, may this not happen again? Let us either have a great verse
tragedy ora (perhaps rather less great) tragic opera, but in the name of Babel, not both. Better still, let future com. posers of opera not try to translate Shakespearian drama into the strange conventions of their craft, Few and far between are the operatic lovers whose fate matters twopence to an audience who seldom expect any sort of dramatic reality; but the misfortunes of Romeo and Juliet really matter to all men, and they had enough to bear without this. "Tybalt is dead and Romeo banished? Abhhhh, _ tiddely-om-pom-pom, che misericordia," No really!
Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZLIST19451130.2.22.7
Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka
New Zealand Listener, Volume 13, Issue 336, 30 November 1945, Page 13
Word count
Tapeke kupu
190Wherefore Art Thou Opera? New Zealand Listener, Volume 13, Issue 336, 30 November 1945, Page 13
Using this item
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Material in this publication is protected by copyright.
Are Media Limited has granted permission to the National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa to develop and maintain this content online. You can search, browse, print and download for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Are Media Limited for any other use.
Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
Copyright in the Denis Glover serial Hot Water Sailor published in 1959 is owned by Pia Glover. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this serial and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the Listener. You can search, browse, and print this serial for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Pia Glover for any other use.
Log in