Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

How Al Gore is Ruining Opera
The Atlas Society -- Your Center for Objectivism ^ | 4/11/2007 | Edward Hudgins

Posted on 04/11/2007 11:44:44 AM PDT by Ed Hudgins

ehudgins@atlassociety.org

 

April 11, 2007 -- I love opera! Thus recently at the Kennedy Center I saw Die Walküre, the second installment of Richard Wagner's monumental four-part cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, about gods and goddesses, giants and dwarfs, and mortal human heroes. The music, singing and acting were superb. But the program notes seemed like Al Gore channeling Karl Marx.

 

Consider "dramaturg" Cori Ellison's description (bold in the original) of the opera's themes. First, nature:

 

"The despoiling of nature through greed and ambition begins even before the stage action does, with Wotan sacrificing his own eye to drink from the Well of Wisdom and then mutilate the World Ash tree to create his spear. The destruction of our nation's environment also began early in our history, with the violation of our rich natural resources and the pollution and disfigurement of our landscape, which will surely lead to our demise if left unchecked."

 

How terrible that someone had the wisdom to rip metals from the guts of Sacred Earth for the orchestra's horns, trumpets, trombones and tuba; to murder World Ash trees for violins, violas, cellos, basses and stage settings; and to extract marble--the torn-out teeth of Mother Nature--to build the KennedyCenter itself!

 

Next, love:

 

"Alberich's renunciation of love in order obtain riches is startlingly familiar; it is but the Ring's first visible example of the sacrifice of love and ethics on the altars of capitalism and temporal power. One need only read the newspapers … to see this theme played out daily in America."

 

Gee, not even a "Thank you" . . .

(Excerpt) Read more at objectivistcenter.org ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: anticapitalist; dncbrownshirts; environmentalism; manbearpig; neonazism; opera; politicallycorrect; postmodernism; theringcycle
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last
To: andy58-in-nh

Al Gore the Barbarian! I love it!


21 posted on 04/11/2007 1:10:00 PM PDT by Ed Hudgins (Rand fan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: steve-b

Who gives out the igNobel Peace Prize? Sweden or Norway? If it’s Norway, he’s in a heap of trouble.


22 posted on 04/11/2007 1:11:38 PM PDT by Calvin Locke
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: ichabod1

I think Wagner’s music was banned in Israel for a number of decades.


23 posted on 04/11/2007 1:11:44 PM PDT by Calvin Locke
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Ed Hudgins

Objective reality meaning one monolithic Meaning of something like a play or book? It’s never been that way. Author’s intentions being contravened go back a lot further then Postmodernism. Old school Marxists don’t even like Pomo.


24 posted on 04/11/2007 1:12:25 PM PDT by Borges
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Calvin Locke

It was an unofficial ban. People were free to listen to it at home it just wasn’t played in large measure in public.


25 posted on 04/11/2007 1:13:20 PM PDT by Borges
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: HarmlessLovableFuzzball

It was after hearing Rienzi as a youth that Hitler became inspired towards a goal of world conquest. His friend described him as being in a state of ecstaty afterwards.


26 posted on 04/11/2007 1:19:47 PM PDT by justshutupandtakeit (Defeat Hillary's V'assed Left Wing Conspiracy)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Ed Hudgins

Oh, Bwunhilda, you're so wovewy!"

"Yes, I know it. I can't help it."

27 posted on 04/11/2007 1:20:21 PM PDT by N. Theknow ((Kennedys - Can't drive, can't fly, can't ski, can't skipper a boat - But they know what's best.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Calvin Locke

Sweden gives them out.


28 posted on 04/11/2007 1:27:18 PM PDT by Ed Hudgins (Rand fan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Diva One

Ping!


29 posted on 04/11/2007 1:28:03 PM PDT by The Shrew (www.swiftvets.com & www.wintersoldier.com - The Truth Shall Set YOU Free!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Publius

How about the Bore-ring?


30 posted on 04/11/2007 1:45:48 PM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: afraidfortherepublic

For Gore, perfect!


31 posted on 04/11/2007 1:48:56 PM PDT by Ed Hudgins (Rand fan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: Ed Hudgins
For the record, Anja Kampe as Sieglinde and Placido Domingo as Siegmund did an excellent job both of singing and acting! Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
32 posted on 04/11/2007 2:08:57 PM PDT by Ed Hudgins (Rand fan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: Ed Hudgins
“See, you bourgeois minds cannot understand this dialectic logic.”

Why does that remind me of "It's a black thing, you wouldn't understand." or, "Sometimes I want to go up to a white person and say, 'you can't understand this' and then slap'em upside their head."

33 posted on 04/11/2007 2:52:00 PM PDT by ichabod1 ("Liberals read Karl Marx. Conservatives UNDERSTAND Karl Marx." Ronald Reagan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: Calvin Locke

See, I don’t like that, Locke. Wagner’s music is so glorious it MUST have come from God, regardless of how man has twisted it. Beethoven was well known to be an a-hole but he wrote the music of the angels.


34 posted on 04/11/2007 2:53:44 PM PDT by ichabod1 ("Liberals read Karl Marx. Conservatives UNDERSTAND Karl Marx." Ronald Reagan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: mnehrling; mhking

Just GOTTDAMMERUNG! ping


35 posted on 04/11/2007 2:55:25 PM PDT by martin_fierro (< |:)~)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dighton; Ed Hudgins; aculeus; AnAmericanMother; Billthedrill; MozartLover; Thinkin' Gal; ...

“Richard Wagner’s music is better than it sounds.” — Mark Twain


36 posted on 04/11/2007 5:10:07 PM PDT by aculeus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: ichabod1
I don’t attribute beauty — in music or other arts — to a god but to the individuals who create the art. Wagner’s and Beethoven’s music is indeed glorious but let’s give them credit.

By the way, since you mention “music of the angels,” see my discussion of Beethoven using that phrase as well in this piece:

http://www.objectivistcenter.org/ct-1835-secular_spirit.aspx

37 posted on 04/12/2007 9:39:34 AM PDT by Ed Hudgins (Rand fan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-37 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson