I’ve tried to like Lully. I really, truly, have tried. I worked/got to know a cast in Les Huguenots that included several Lully-ites in the William Christie entourage. But it’s not doing it for me.
That’s not to say that in the month since I last logged into WordPress I’ve been casting withering looks at myTunes and trying to sweep JB under the rug. I’ve been doing nothing but listening and writing everything but this blog. So let’s knock a few Lulls out of the park before getting to the DVD of Phaëton. And let’s combine my passion for writing with my passion for new media and sum each of these operas up in the span of a Tweet.
@Atys: “Not the least of these was a sstned contrast btwn the drama’s violent passion…and Lully’s prvrsly sbdued and rstrained music.” – E. Said
@Isis: Lully’s greatest laments thus far, but Juno/Jupiter need an agent for the amt of times they’re repped in opera. Not seeing the tragedy here.
@Psyché: Blessed with a good recording for this; perhaps what I need to enjoy JBL. Dramatic influences of Moliere, Italy apparent. Holy finale, Bman!*
*And I do mean Baroque Man. A superhero costume requiring a wig similar to that of JB Lully’s.
What’s not to enjoy? Maybe it’s your viewing environment: ideally, it should be lighted only by chandelier and candelabra; don’t skimp on your own costume (silk brocade, lace, pearls, corset, bodice, petticoats, hoop skirts, manteau, fontange, etc.); enlist bf to wait on you hand & foot throughout performance.
Brian, where would I be without you? I KNEW I was missing out on something. Though I do like the textural contrast of French baroque in industrial Queens.
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