Well? Well. Well well well. I'd been sort of intrigued about this for some time, and I finally saw it. It's certainly not like your average opera, if indeed there is such a thing, which there probably isn't, but if there is, it ain't like this. What a great sentence that was. It's based on a surrealist/satirical/apocalyptic play by Michel de Ghelderode.
The plot, such as it is, takes place in the fictional kingdom of Breughelland, where the dopey Prince Go-Go's idiotic courtiers cavort about and his incompetent secret police chief is incompetent. There's also a court astronomer who has a sadistic dominatrix wife who torments him. A seemingly demonic being known as Nekrotzar appears (name related to Necrosaro from Dragon Quest IV?), and announces the forthcoming end of the world. Nobody knows what's going to happen, so everyone just has a drink. The end.
Good God, people, I am SO down with this concept. I think it's super-cool. But the execution, boy, I dunno. The amount of obscene dicking around (both the libretto and this prodution are extremely R-rated) without a purpose gets...kinda boring. Not that I'm not theoretically in favor of obscene dicking around! But if has to have some sort of dramatic purpose or just be striking in and of itself, and a lot of the time, this just isn't, though I'll allow that it has a few moments.
And the music...eh. I have to admit, it's just not my thing. I get insecure when I see a lot of people heaping praise on an opera I don't like because I always think, OMG, their tastes must be way more sophisticated than mine! What is wrong with me?!? I must allow that, if it's any good, it probably really is one of these things that would take multiple viewings to get my head around, but I don't know if that's worth it. Some of it involves things like car horns and alarm clocks, but dammit, to me, this sort of avant garderie, though appealing in literature, in music is...not so much!
I mean, god knows I'm always interested in seeing such an unusual piece, but, well, I don't think it'll ever be a favorite of mine. Even if the US may be looking pretty similar to Breughelland these days. Anyway, this is Ligeti's only opera, so I don't need to worry about my usual completionist tendencies.
No comments:
Post a Comment