Friday, October 19, 2007
On Sounds
I decided to play hooky from dirty dishes, paperwork, housecleaning, and other responsibilities last night and go to see San Francisco Opera's production of Appomattox, with music by Philip Glass. It was a good choice; the opera was terrific, and the responsibilities survived without my attention.
I managed to get a Rush Ticket for $30 (with the help of a kind fellow I met in the ticket line) in Row M, center. This was close enough to feel the orchestra (and you do feel, as well as hear, the orchestra in a Glass score) and to watch the fine acting. (The singing was very good, too.) I was particularly impressed by Andrew Shore, who played Ulysses S. Grant -- his appearance, body language, and overall performance were just wonderful.
The score was far from the trance-music most of us from the Koyaanisqatsi generation associate with Glass. There were elements of that, sure, but oftentimes it was softly buzzing (and setting the emotional tempo of the story) in the background while dialog was being sung over it. When it got loud, it was always for a reason and always effective. Glass also weaves a couple of Civil War-era hymns into the score, one of which ("Tenting on the Old Campground") was sung by the chorus off-stage and which I found very, very moving.
Only two performances remain, so I recommend you go soon.
Entirely unrelated, except that it also has to do with sound: I just learned about soundsnap. It's kind of like flikr for digital audio clips. I haven't figured out what yet, but I definitely want to do SOMETHING with it.
I managed to get a Rush Ticket for $30 (with the help of a kind fellow I met in the ticket line) in Row M, center. This was close enough to feel the orchestra (and you do feel, as well as hear, the orchestra in a Glass score) and to watch the fine acting. (The singing was very good, too.) I was particularly impressed by Andrew Shore, who played Ulysses S. Grant -- his appearance, body language, and overall performance were just wonderful.
The score was far from the trance-music most of us from the Koyaanisqatsi generation associate with Glass. There were elements of that, sure, but oftentimes it was softly buzzing (and setting the emotional tempo of the story) in the background while dialog was being sung over it. When it got loud, it was always for a reason and always effective. Glass also weaves a couple of Civil War-era hymns into the score, one of which ("Tenting on the Old Campground") was sung by the chorus off-stage and which I found very, very moving.
Only two performances remain, so I recommend you go soon.
Entirely unrelated, except that it also has to do with sound: I just learned about soundsnap. It's kind of like flikr for digital audio clips. I haven't figured out what yet, but I definitely want to do SOMETHING with it.
