Jump to navigation
Gesamtkunstwerk Of The American Idiots
The critique of 'America' as the great leveller,
the 'Technological Moloch' of the West, is a common one in European circles, both from the Right and Left. The triumphant consumer culture created by American economies of scale is the antipathy of the bourgeois emphasis on heirarchy and 'refinement' as tools of social order, containment and control.
Jean Cau's description of EuroDisneyland as a 'cultural Chernobyl' merely one example.
And of all American innovations, 'Hollywood' stands above others in its mythic status as the embodiment of all that America's critics love to lambast. So the Stiftung has been very interested in following reaction to the recent movie 'Tristan and Isolde', made from the opera of the same name. Opera is one of the few remaining genuinely bourgeois affectations in American society.
Tristan and Isolde is doubly important because it has long been revered as Richard Wagner's greatest single work, eclipsing in the eyes of many even his more famous
Der Ring Des Nibelungen.
Tristan it is said best represents Wagner's notion of
Gesamtkunstwerk — “total art work” — the union of music, theater and environment to create an emotional response.
Of course, Wagner did not invent
Tristan. The story comes to us from Arthurian legend and from there was derived from earlier obscure Celtic interpretations.
Yet that does not stop Philip Kennicott in the WaPo from
raging at the temerity of Hollywood to deign 'level'
Tristan and make it accessible to a mass audience. When a reviewer begins with “Most of us have made our peace with Hollywood's insatiable appetite for things we hold sacred”, you know where things are going.
“Tristan & Isolde” may cross that line for opera lovers. Co-produced by Ridley Scott, who brought us his vision of the Crusades and 12th-century Jerusalem in last year's “Kingdom of Heaven,” “Tristan & Isolde” is a standard-issue sword and sex romp, with a bloody battle scene at the same point in the movie that Richard Wagner, in his opera, has barely finished the prelude. The actors, James Franco and Sophia Myles in the title roles, are lovely and blank, like animated versions of some insipid pre-Raphaelite painting. Wagner's “Tristan and Isolde” is all depth, all psychology, an opera in which most of the singing is done sitting, or in a near swoon, or lying half-dead on a bier. The movie, which opened on Friday in Washington, is all action, motion, surface sex appeal and beautiful pictures. The movie and the opera share a title, but the two versions couldn't be further apart.
Is this sacrilege? . . . “Tristan and Isolde,” four solid hours of slow-moving angst, is the epitome of operatic seriousness, an opera with such gravity of purpose, such extraordinary depths of pain and existential longing, that Hollywood should be ashamed to trespass on its turf.
And here we see the old Rightist European critique again, using Hollywood as stand in for the American 'Technological Moloch' and its culture of democratizing access. And when Kennicott concludes with a fervant wish that the movie will be ignored, unable to mar the memory of Wagner's stagecraft, he is really wishing that Wagner and opera as art form, Wagner and opera as elite privilege, Wagner and opera as signfier of those who Have Risen Above Mass Entertainments will survive America.
All of which is pretty amusing, because Kennicott's fears are misdirected. Rather than fear leveling and access, Kennicott should embrace any and all means that will revitalize wider interest in opera as an art form. This includes popular music. Besides the hoary Who rock operas of
Tommy and
Quadrophenia (the former having been staged at The Met in 1970), the recent Green Day rock opera
American Idiot is reaching millions of young people in a way that Wagner could only dream about: walls of amplification, giant stages, lights, video screens.
In fact, given his approach to sound and stagecraft, one can be legitimately entertained thinking what Wagner would do today and whether he himself wouldn't prefer to reach millions via the technology and stagecraft of popular music. Just how would he react to chants of 'Do Stonehenge!'? Doubtless that makes Kennicott squirm. Good.
Posted in General Aktion
at 12:07 on Tuesday 17 January
by DrLeoStrauss
Comments
Dr Leo this site is a must read. More!
In The Lord of the Rings OnlineTM: Shadows of AngmarTM (LOTRO), players can customize certain elements of the game's user interface (UI), also known as “skinning.” While we don't allow you to do a full-scale UI replacement, we do give you the ability to replace selected visual elements of the UI. (A full list of these elements and their sizes is provided at the end of this overview.)
This is an updated (and prettied up) version of the information that had originally been posted in their Beta forums which we had copied to our Developer Discussions - Tutorials & Other Helpful Information forum. It is a combination of the Skinning the LOTRO UI and Art Assets posts.
http://www.lotro-shop.com
http://www.lotro-shop.com/i...
http://www.allgametrade.com
http://www.allgametrade.com...
http://www.ccboots.com/ugg-...
UGG snow boots classic mini-best option is to Youe If you feel uncomfortable enough.Where other boots you can get high-quality, low-price copy of the classic ugg classic tall boots sale mine Boots? We bring you the men and women of today's most fashionable boots some<a href="http://www.ccboots.com/ugg-..."><strong>ugg classic cardy</strong></a><br>
TheUGG Classic Mini boot has built the ultimate comfort ugg classic tall grey of the men and women. This is evident from the snow boots are truly above the lightweight double-faced sheepskin on the EVA outsole. With all the height of the shortest UGG snow boots, classic mini is perfect to wear all year round<a href="http://www.ccboots.com/ugg-..."><strong>ugg classic cardy</strong></a><br>
http://www.ccboots.com/ugg-...
Hey! What are you waiting for? The new Ugg Classic Tall Boots is now available, and is already starting to sell well. Then you know the ugg bailey button boot? This new style combines the classic styling with the addition of the very popular button. It is not a matter of if this style sells out, but how quickly.<a href="http://www.ccboots.com/ugg-..."><strong>ugg classic cardy</strong></a><br>
The UGG Classic boot has built the ultimate comfort ugg classic tall grey of the men and women. This is evident from the snow boots are truly above the lightweight double-faced sheepskin on the EVA outsole. <a href="http://www.ccboots.com/ugg-..."><strong>ugg classic cardy</strong></a><br>
http://www.ccboots.com/ugg-...
Hey! What are you waiting for? The new Ugg Classic Tall Boots is now available, and is already starting to sell well. Then you know the ugg bailey button boot? This new style combines the classic styling with the addition of the very popular button. It is not a matter of if this style sells out, but how quickly.<a href="http://www.ccboots.com/ugg-..."><strong>ugg classic cardy</strong></a><br>
The UGG Classic boot has built the ultimate comfort ugg classic tall grey of the men and women. This is evident from the snow boots are truly above the lightweight double-faced sheepskin on the EVA outsole. <a href="http://www.ccboots.com/ugg-..."><strong>ugg classic cardy</strong></a><br>
The <a href="http://www.ecboots.com" title="title">cheap ugg boots</a> sale for women are stylish, they are comfortable and what痴 more, they keep your feet. There's a pair of fellow sufferers,<a href="http://www.ecboots.com">ugg boots sale</a> to complement your personal preferences, why do we not take the traditional high <a href="http://www.ecboots.com" title="title">discount ugg boots</a> on salefor cold winter?As a matter of fact, with the passing time, the love for <a href="http://www.ecboots.com/ugg-..." title="title">classic short uggs</a> is increasing among girls in this modern world. The growing demand for these <a href="http://www.ecboots.com/ugg-...">ugg classic short</a> made the manufacturers.<a href="http://www.ecboots.com">Discount ugg boots</a> to revamp the looks of these boots with different hues.Welcome to our website and buy a pair of <a href="http://www.ecboots.com/ugg-..." title="title">ugg classic tall</a>.<a href="http://www.ecboots.com/ugg-..." title="title">UGG Classic Cardy</a> are popular as shoes for cowboys. The shoes close the whole parts of the foot. The <a href="http://www.ecboots.com/ugg-..." title="title">ugg cardy</a> are important to protect your feet from any dangerous things during your walking activities. There are many <a href="http://www.ecboots.com/ugg-..." title="title">ugg classic mini</a> available in the Market and if you are interested to get one you can directly go to the store that sells it.
We are the best online sales for the <a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.com">china wholesale </a> . Here you can have a large of choices of kinds <a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">cheap ugg classic tall boots on sale</a>, <a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">tiffany & co jewelry</a>,<a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">tiffany and co silver earrings</a>,<a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">tiffany cheap silver rings</a>,<a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">mbt shoes on sale</a>,<a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">UGG Classic Cardy Boots</a>,<a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">UGG Classic Mini Boots</a> ,<a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">North Face Apparel</a>,<a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">Cheap Sunglasses</a> ,<a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">Dior Handbags</a>,<a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">Prada Handbags</a>,<a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.c...">ED Hardy</a> .All our <a href="http://www.cheapgoodssale.com">online cheap goods </a>are high quality and original packages, and best service. We offer our customers the best service, 7 days arrive at your door.Enjoy your easy and happy shopping with us.
200912.18c1hjh
The unique ceramic <a href="http://www.dearghd.com/ghd-..."><b>ghd iv styler hair straightener</b></a> heats up to its maximum temperature in seconds and locks in moisture, natural oils, and hair color for <a href="http://www.dearghd.com/ghd-..."><b>black ghd mk4 hair straightener</b></a>. The new ghd styler makes it even easier to create curls, twists, flicks, and waves, while retaining its unrivalled ability to achieve straight and sleek <a href="http://www.dearghd.com/ghd-..."><b>ghd straighteners uk</b></a>.
we offers a wide variety of athletic <a href="http://www.shoesgroups.com/">basketball shoe</a> including kobe basketball shoes,lebron james basketball shoes,etc on shoesgroups.com
<a href="http://www.pumaebay.com/men...">puma cat
shoes</a>, the mixture of Sport, fashion and liftstyle,<a
href="http://www.pumaebay.com/men...">puma store</a>
are the best shoes in the world! As a creatative company,<a
href="http://www.pumaebay.com/men...">discount
puma</a> always can give us some surprise, and as a <a
href="http://www.pumaebay.com/spe...">cheap puma on sale</a>, I
belive puma shoes can make your feet more comfortable,<a
href="http://www.pumaebay.com/men...">puma speed cat
shoes</a> make your life more stylish!Our online <a
href="http://www.pumaebay.com/men...">mens puma
shoes</a> store is dedicated to provide you all kind of discount <a
href="http://www.pumaebay.com/201...">puma outlet</a>,
including <a href="http://www.pumaebay.com/201...">new
puma shoes</a>, <a href="http://www.pumaebay.com/wom...
52.html">puma speed cat</a> with a discount price!<a
href="http://www.pumaebay.com/201...">online puma</a>
Top-quality, fast delivery and best service <a
href="http://www.pumaebay.com/spe...">cheap puma shoes</a> to make
sure you can have a happy shopping journey with us!
DISALLOWED (TrackBack)
Add Comments
Dr Leo this site is a must read. More!