The Deleted Scenes - How *Do* They Do It?
My wife and I saw the opera Turandot by Puccini (most of it was, anyway) at the Kennedy Center in D.C. the other week. I knew nothing about it; she’d seen a more classical version of it, and disliked the new one, which tried to be less old-fashioned European Orientalist by stripping away most of the Chinese ornamentation, placing the story in the industrial era, and dressing the female chorus/extra characters as communist-esque guards. Her opinion was that the Chinese imagery was beautiful, and that the opera isn’t an allegory about authoritarianism, but simply an old folktale. She’s Chinese, so I defer to her. What I found interesting was how odd opera is an as art form, at least to me. What is it, exactly? The musical scores resemble classical music, which isn’t surprising. But the storytelling and the distinct “numbers” make it quite a bit like a musical. But it isn’t quite that, is it? Here’s a great Reddit thread on the distinction between operas and musicals, and why it’s legitimate but also imprecise. (It reminds me of a similar question I explored a little bit here: are steakhouses restaurants? I love tricky definitions.) It also seems pretty difficult to run a live opera. There are so many moving parts. I’ve never actually seen a classical music performance, but I’ve listened to Mozart and Beethoven and a few others (my parents used to play it in the car!), and I’m always struck by how impossible it seems that anybody could have sat down and scratched out musical notes that an orchestra could turn into that. It doesn’t seem like anything one person could have done. But of course, it was. There’s a point here—one I’ve been thinking about a lot since attending the Strong Towns National Gathering in Cincinnati. The key conceit (I don’t mean that in a derogatory way) of Strong Towns is incrementalism—the belief that cities and towns should, because they traditionally did, grow incrementally, step by step, without too much up-front cost and risk. A tiny little ghost town, a thriving small town, and a metropolis are all the same creature, in this frame, with wildly divergent fortunes over time. That’s the power—what Strong Towns founder Charles Marohn calls “spooky wisdom”—of incrementalism. That a thing can be the same thing but vastly different. That a thing can be, over time, more like itself. I wrote about this idea when I wrote about wine a few months ago, and the difficulty of distinguishing an immature wine industry or region—possibly at the beginning of the long incremental climb to success—from a region that simply can’t be made to produce very good wine:
In other words, sampling a bottle from a recently developed, up-and-coming wine region and judging it terrible might be like expecting a child to behave like an adult. In good time... Subscribe to The Deleted Scenes to read the rest.Become a paying subscriber of The Deleted Scenes to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content. A subscription gets you:
|
Older messages
Drinking And Driving
Thursday, May 23, 2024
What sort of activity is driving? ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
A New Top
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #163 ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
New Urbanism and Urbanist Media
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
The professional urbanism world needs to speak to the average American ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Seattle Addled
Monday, May 20, 2024
I know which American city *isn't* my favorite ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Joy Annoy
Saturday, May 18, 2024
Why is it annoying when people love things you hate? ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
You Might Also Like
Sarah Jessica Parker Just Wore Her Most Practical Carrie Bradshaw Look Ever
Thursday, July 4, 2024
I couldn't help but wonder... The Zoe Report Daily The Zoe Report 7.3.2024 Sarah Jessica Parker (Celebrity) Sarah Jessica Parker Just Wore Her Most Practical Carrie Bradshaw Look Ever I couldn'
What It Means When Your Apple Products Become 'Vintage' or 'Obsolete'
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Your iPhone X is now officially "vintage." Not displaying correctly? View this newsletter online. TODAY'S FEATURED STORY What It Means When Your Apple Products Become 'Vintage' or
What My Adult Autism Diagnosis Finally Explained
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
What's new today on the Cut — covering style, self, culture, and power, plus interviews, profiles, columns, and commentary from our editors. Brand Logo WEDNESDAY, JULY 3 FIRST PERSON What My Adult
Anya Taylor-Joy Freed The Nip In A Wet T-Shirt Dress
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Plus, your horoscope for Wednesday, July 3, & more. Jul. 3, 2024 Bustle Daily Anya Taylor-Joy Freed The Nip In A Wet T-Shirt At Glastonbury Anya Taylor-Joy Freed The Nip In A Wet T-Shirt At
Teach This Poem Vol. I is now available!
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Plus, browse poems and lessons for the Fourth and summer Facebook Twitter Instagram July 2024 Teach This Poem Volume I: The Natural World Out Today! Published through Routledge's Eye on Education
"What’s more American?"
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
July 3, 2024 fourth of july “On the Backs of American Bison” b: william bearhart “There are no kings in America” Aileen Cassinetto “[the fourth of July – is Surely come]” David Drake “Democracy
WIN a Once-in-a-Lifetime vacation to beautiful Bermuda!
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Win a Trip to Bermuda Sweepstakes
The Geography of Housing Affordability
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
A national crisis, or a big city crisis? ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Why the Dem Panic over the Debate is Getting Worse
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
A tepid response and a series of new polls are raising fears at the highest levels of the party. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Chicago Style
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
What Do You Think You're Looking At? #169 ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏