|
Well, if you want to listen to absolutely brilliantly constructed musicals, I'm sure you'll get very little argument if I suggest listening to the musicals of Stephen Sondheim.
They're pretty much all masterpieces.
And for so many reasons.
Musically, Sondheim does things with incredibly limited thematic material (most remarkably in "Into the Woods"). Often, he will re-use material in various sections with minor modifications that somehow turn light to dark, or joy to sadness. It's pretty amazing how he controls his material.
Lyrics are a completely different matter. Sondheim is an absolute genius with lyrics. His use of rhyme, and of double-entendre is nothing short of perfection.
The miracle of Sondheim's musicals is that they withstand repeated listening like so few others do. And every new listening experience shines a light on some subtle nuance of meaning, some reflection back to an earlier moment in the play. It's freaking awesome.
And I'm in negotiations with someone to write an opera as well.
__________________
"Those that know, do;
Those that understand, teach."
-Aristotle-
"toute audace engendrée par l'ignorance cesse d'être une audace et devient une maladresse"
-Debussy-
In musical criticism, when issues of craft and technical consideration are set aside, what remains is more subjective. However, until technical issues are dealt with, the subjective portion bears considerably less weight.
|
Dec 5 2007, 3:50 PM
Linear Mode
