Something I've seen recently, from both Sassafrass group members and non-members, is Sundown being described as an opera. But, it's not, really
( Read more... )
1) I'm guessing you've seen the Kickstarter already, but in case you haven't, here it is :).
2) Yeah, I was mostly concentrating on those two genres because Sundown unquestionably tells a story (at least, the full production does), has specific characters, staging (though actually quite a bit less of it than I would have liked to see), etc. But there are certainly other genres that have as much relationship to musical theater and/or opera as those do to each other, and unsurprisingly there are productions that fall somewhere between those other categories too - Songs for a New World is a great example of this, it's a 50/50 chance at any time whether I'll call it a musical or a song cycle :). I actually thought of Sundown as a song cycle more than anything else until we rehearsed the full show a week and a half ago, and that would still feel like a better term for it if all of the songs were performed in order without the scenes.
3) Oh man Les Mis :P. I almost but not quite included that as an example of a musical with strong motifs, but I have in fact seen it argued that it's supposed to be at least somewhat operatic. I agree with you, though, it really feels to me more like a musical than an opera, and I think it's the type of singing that does that for me.
4) I think for most people, including me, hearing a "classical" sound definitely helps something lean towards "opera." And as you mention, the type of singing/training necessary for the piece, which for opera has a particular sound, helps define a piece (at least, that's what I'm arguing here).
But in terms of harmonic content, I don't think "classical" necessarily means opera. More than anything else, Sundown is based on Renaissance sounds (and goodness knows Norse mythology is not exactly an absent theme in opera :D), but I don't think those things define the genre of the show in the absence of other characteristics. And as you've mentioned, the Messiah is very classical sounding but isn't an opera, either. (Wikipedia tells me that oratorios are distinct from operas in that they're not staged, but typically oratorios have characters, soloists, arias, etc., and the lack of characters makes Handel's Messiah distinctive among oratorios.)
2) Yeah, I was mostly concentrating on those two genres because Sundown unquestionably tells a story (at least, the full production does), has specific characters, staging (though actually quite a bit less of it than I would have liked to see), etc. But there are certainly other genres that have as much relationship to musical theater and/or opera as those do to each other, and unsurprisingly there are productions that fall somewhere between those other categories too - Songs for a New World is a great example of this, it's a 50/50 chance at any time whether I'll call it a musical or a song cycle :). I actually thought of Sundown as a song cycle more than anything else until we rehearsed the full show a week and a half ago, and that would still feel like a better term for it if all of the songs were performed in order without the scenes.
3) Oh man Les Mis :P. I almost but not quite included that as an example of a musical with strong motifs, but I have in fact seen it argued that it's supposed to be at least somewhat operatic. I agree with you, though, it really feels to me more like a musical than an opera, and I think it's the type of singing that does that for me.
4) I think for most people, including me, hearing a "classical" sound definitely helps something lean towards "opera." And as you mention, the type of singing/training necessary for the piece, which for opera has a particular sound, helps define a piece (at least, that's what I'm arguing here).
But in terms of harmonic content, I don't think "classical" necessarily means opera. More than anything else, Sundown is based on Renaissance sounds (and goodness knows Norse mythology is not exactly an absent theme in opera :D), but I don't think those things define the genre of the show in the absence of other characteristics. And as you've mentioned, the Messiah is very classical sounding but isn't an opera, either. (Wikipedia tells me that oratorios are distinct from operas in that they're not staged, but typically oratorios have characters, soloists, arias, etc., and the lack of characters makes Handel's Messiah distinctive among oratorios.)
Reply
Leave a comment