Monday, June 12, 2006

Grendel Opera

I you asked me, "What books would make good opera?", I certainly wouldn't name John Gardner's Grendel. Yet that's the source material for an LA opera running now.

Medievalists seem to be uncertain whether to be amused, pleased, or horrified at the prospect. Me, I'm horrified. Word on the virtual-street is that Allen Frantzen will be writing a review for the Old English Newsletter, which will no doubt be better informed than about any other review of the opera. As of this posting, it isn't up, but if you are reading this a couple of months after it was posted, try searching the OEN site for his review.

Until he does so, though, let me to the LA Opera's site, and the LA Times review.

UPDATE:

In addition to Xoom's review, A Fool in the Forest also has a review. Just to clarify, Fool reports that I have said medievalists are "alarmed" ... no, no, I said "amused," "pleased," and "horrified," but not alarmed.

2 comments:

  1. I was there opening night, and it wasn't horrifying at all. I didn't care for the score, but I'm a philistine when it comes to contemporary opera music anyway, so that counts for nothing.

    My write-up of it is here:
    http://xom.blogs.com/xoom/2006/06/grendelicious.html

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  2. Anonymous5:46 PM

    It's opera - isn't a horrendously rubbish story a given?

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