Time, November 25, 2008: Difference between revisions
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<center><h3> A | <center><h3> A night at the opera with Sting and Elvis </h3></center> | ||
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<center> Jeffrey T. Iverson | <center> Jeffrey T. Iverson </center> | ||
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But perhaps the Chatelet's most ambitious and controversial gambit yet was to transform veteran rockers [[Sting]] and Elvis Costello into opera stars... kind of. As Sting qualified it during a TIME interview with the two musicians, "Well, no one is going to offer Elvis and I parts in Tosca, right?" Costello added, "Except 'Spear-Bearer' maybe." (See pictures of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2009 Nominees.) | But perhaps the Chatelet's most ambitious and controversial gambit yet was to transform veteran rockers [[Sting]] and Elvis Costello into opera stars... kind of. As Sting qualified it during a TIME interview with the two musicians, "Well, no one is going to offer Elvis and I parts in Tosca, right?" Costello added, "Except 'Spear-Bearer' maybe." (See pictures of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2009 Nominees.) | ||
Indeed, the opera | Indeed, the opera ''Welcome To The Voice'', which premiered Nov. 20, doesn't demand feats of coloratura of the pair. Rather, they lend their rock timbres to improbable duets with such brilliant sopranos as [[Sylvia Schwartz]] to "hopefully make harmony," as Sting says. | ||
The work is the fruit of a genuine romance between the opera's composer, longtime Costello keyboardist [[Steve Nieve]], and the writer and psychoanalyst [[Muriel Teodori]], who wrote the Franco-English libretto. First released as a Deutsche Grammophon recording in 2007, the opera recounts the story of Greek immigrant steelworker Dionysos (played by a bearded Sting), who falls in love with an opera diva, much to the consternation of his blue-collar buddies. His stalker-like obsession nearly gets him incarcerated by the police commissioner (a hulking, black-robed Costello), but with a little supernatural intervention by the ghosts of operas past, all ends well. | The work is the fruit of a genuine romance between the opera's composer, longtime Costello keyboardist [[Steve Nieve]], and the writer and psychoanalyst [[Muriel Teodori]], who wrote the Franco-English libretto. First released as a Deutsche Grammophon recording in 2007, the opera recounts the story of Greek immigrant steelworker Dionysos (played by a bearded Sting), who falls in love with an opera diva, much to the consternation of his blue-collar buddies. His stalker-like obsession nearly gets him incarcerated by the police commissioner (a hulking, black-robed Costello), but with a little supernatural intervention by the ghosts of operas past, all ends well. | ||
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Costello and Sting's performances had their faults — including a good handful of wayward notes. But while commissioner Costello stormed around stage brazenly belting his lines, and Sting swooned in the arms of Schwartz's delicious diva during their final stirring — and harmonious — duet, they were clearly reveling in this escape from the confines of the pop-rock genre. "For me it's always good to put yourself outside your comfort zone," says Sting. "As an artist, it's vital to have that kind of experience to grow, otherwise you're trapped in a box. Being in the box is never really interesting — I like to step outside of it, even at the risk of personal failure." The French critics may not agree, but with its easy juxtaposition of styles and obstinately hopeful narrative, Welcome to the Voice does make for a decidedly modern opera. And judging from the packed houses and endless ovations during its five-night Paris run, it seems the vox populi, at least, has declared it a success. | Costello and Sting's performances had their faults — including a good handful of wayward notes. But while commissioner Costello stormed around stage brazenly belting his lines, and Sting swooned in the arms of Schwartz's delicious diva during their final stirring — and harmonious — duet, they were clearly reveling in this escape from the confines of the pop-rock genre. "For me it's always good to put yourself outside your comfort zone," says Sting. "As an artist, it's vital to have that kind of experience to grow, otherwise you're trapped in a box. Being in the box is never really interesting — I like to step outside of it, even at the risk of personal failure." The French critics may not agree, but with its easy juxtaposition of styles and obstinately hopeful narrative, Welcome to the Voice does make for a decidedly modern opera. And judging from the packed houses and endless ovations during its five-night Paris run, it seems the vox populi, at least, has declared it a success. | ||
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'''Time, November 25, 2008 | '''Time, November 25, 2008 | ||
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[[Jeffrey T. Iverson ]] reviews [[Welcome To The Voice]] at the [[Chatelet Theatre]], Paris, France. | [[Jeffrey T. Iverson ]] reviews ''[[Welcome To The Voice]]'' at the [[Chatelet Theatre]], Paris, France. | ||
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_(magazine) Wikipedia: Time (magazine)] | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_(magazine) Wikipedia: Time (magazine)] | ||
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[[Category:Bibliography]] | |||
[[Category:Bibliography 2008 | [[Category:Bibliography 2008]] | ||
[[Category:Time| Time 2008-11-25]] | [[Category:Time| Time 2008-11-25]] | ||
[[Category:Magazine articles | [[Category:Magazine articles]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:2008 concert reviews |
Revision as of 02:27, 24 July 2020
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External links
[[Category:2008 concert reviews