Phantom of the Opera

I recently saw Joel Schumacher's film version of Phantom of the Opera. As an opera lover, I particularly enjoyed how attune this production is to the world of French Grand Opera. The emphasis on the supernatural and the Gothic monster show aspects are obvious. Also, the opera scenes show the emphasis on spectacle from the elaborate costumes and complicated staging machinery to the live animals on stage. Finally, the dancers and their relationships with the patrons add yet another touch of authenticity.

Pope John Paul II and Mozart

I have been very touched to hear Mozart and beautiful Renaissance choral music on network television news shows during the many reviews and reports on the Pope's life that have been aired during the last two weeks.

It seems like American culture accepts that classical music naturally fits state funerals, the Christmas season, sometimes the Easter season, and the ceremony of most weddings.

I wonder why it is that music that lends such a sense of nobility and celebration - even sacredness - to these occasions isn't permitted to make each and every day of our lives celebratory and special.

Mozart 40 and Holberg

Last week, I heard the string orchestra at my university perform Mozart's 40th Symphony and From Holberg's Time by Grieg.

Listening as a pianist, I was moved by the sense of longing that strings portray so well. I was reminded that some of the most moving piano playing seems to come from a sense of the musical tension of one note leading to another. Because of the nature of their instruments, string players usually demonstrate that sensibility.

Listening to the students play, I once again experienced the freshness and passion that are part of the efforts of good young ensembles. I often prefer the unjaded energy of a conservatory orchestra to the work of seasoned professionals.

Finally, certain slow passages of the Mozart seem to be filled with an atmosphere of impending judgement. Perhaps I hear the music in that way because of similarities in tone with portions of the Requiem or Don Giovanni. Nonetheless, I think the idea of God's judgement on our lives loomed much larger in the consiousness of most people in Mozart's day than in the minds of most modern listeners.