Science Fiction Operas

FullRangeMan · « **on:** 26 Dec 2009, 01:40 am »

I loved the 1959 Blomdahl's Aniara Opera on 90s years Capriccio records. Do you know others science fiction operas??

http://www.amazon.com/Karl-Birger-Blomdahl-Aniara-Space-Opera/dp/B00008EXWI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1261792520&sr=1-1

geezer · « **Reply #1 on:** 26 Dec 2009, 02:26 am »

I've never heard of a science fiction opera before. As I dislike that type of movie, I doubt I will ever watch this opera.

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #2 on:** 26 Dec 2009, 06:47 pm »

Quote from: geezer on 26 Dec 2009, 02:26 am

I've never heard of a science fiction opera before. As I dislike that type of movie, I doubt I will ever watch this opera.

Hi Geezer,
The sound effects and music of this Opera are real stunning, just like Ligeti or Subotnik, a beautiful journey. Aniara is not like a modern science-fiction movie from the 80s or 90s, it is more like Kubric's 2001, or a Wagner opera, it is in the old language of science-fiction from the cold-war,
it was premiered in 1959.
I have not watch any VHS/DVD of this Opera though, but the scenarios must be all inspiring.
Regards, Gustavo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aniara_%28opera%29

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #3 on:** 28 Dec 2009, 07:26 am »

It sounds interesting; can't say I've heard of any others, though.

Passive Chappy · « **Reply #4 on:** 12 Mar 2010, 05:03 am »

I just found this so I thought I'd throw out the following examples -

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00138H6O6/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000005J28&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1FPX3R07WATKJJHRVRGZ

http://www.amazon.com/John-Adams-Doctor-Gerald-Finley/dp/B001BSH18O/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1268368826&sr=1-9

http://www.amazon.com/Three-Tales-DVD-Steve-Reich/dp/B0000AN4F5/ref=sr_1_21?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1268368408&sr=1-21

FullRangeMan · « **Reply #5 on:** 12 Mar 2010, 06:15 am »

Hi Chappy, Thanks for this nice options, I was unaware Adams had a new opera.
Regards, Gustavo

woodsyi · « **Reply #6 on:** 12 Mar 2010, 03:26 pm »

I have to admit that I am not really keen on modern and post modern music. What you call the science fiction opera seems to be a genre of postmodern music that synthesizes a lot of modern strains of musical "developments." I took a really interesting post graduate course that was called "fragmentation and integration" in arts. The objective was to look at the modern trend of fragmenting "-isms" like minimalism, structuralism, serialism, deconstructionism, etc. and see if there are integrations taking place. It's a search of a cultural semiosis, closing of the loop if you will, that will establish a meaning in someway. Philip Glass is one man who is on this as a living. There is another person who put out his version of a semiotic masterpiece that integrated a life long journey into music.

That is Frank Zappa!

I think his final work, Civilization, Phase III is an Opera (now that I think of it) and it is a powerful one.

The epithet of the opera and Zappa's music is in the final dialogue:

Quote

Spider: We can get our strength up by making some music
John: That's right
Monica: Yeah . . . yeah
John: But the thing is, you know what?
Spider: What?
John: We don't even understand our own music
Spider: It doesn't, does it matter whether we understand it? At least it'll give us . . . strength
John: I know but maybe we could get into it more if we understood it
Spider: We'd get more strength from it if we understood it?
John: Yeah
Spider: No, I don't think so, because -- see I think, I think our strength comes from our uncertainty. If we understood it we'd be bored with it and then we couldn't gather any strength from it
John: Like if we knew about our music one of us might talk and then that would be the end of that

Doesn't it remind you of the ending in a Samuel Becket Play?

Thanks for bringing up the other ones. I will have to listen to John Adams.