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"Amahl and the Night Visitors"
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Peter
Dec 14, 2014, 12:36:06 AM12/14/14
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I think that it is quite sad that so few performances of Menotti's "Amahl
and the Night Visitors" are being performed these days.
I think that it is a great opera, and certainly deserves to be performed
during the holiday season.
What do you think?
and the Night Visitors" are being performed these days.
I think that it is a great opera, and certainly deserves to be performed
during the holiday season.
What do you think?
William Sommerwerck
Dec 14, 2014, 7:39:23 AM12/14/14
to
"Peter" wrote in message
news:CrOdnXr9oPlZvBDJ...@giganews.com...
> I think that it is quite sad that so few performances of Menotti's
> "Amahl and the Night Visitors" are being performed these days.
I think it's sad that someone hasn't found and burned the manuscript and all
printed copies.
> I think that it is a great opera, and certainly deserves to be
> performed during the holiday season.
> What do you think?
See above.
"Inane drivel" would be a good description. I'm old enough to have seen a live
performance on NBC. I wasn't old enough to appreciate how awful it was.
I'm not bothered with Menotti's populist music. ("Amahl" was written for TV.)
I'm annoyed by the story's cloying cuteness, and its glaring lack of sense.
Amahl and his mother are close to dying from starvation, yet when the Magi
show up, the neighbors drop in with a feast that would put Martha Stewart to
shame.
Amahl is a cripple, so we know from the start exactly how the story will end.
Had the mother -- after she stole from the Magis -- been eaten by a camel,
there would have been //something// surprising in the tale.
------------------------
The first live recording I ever made was of a local performance of "Amahl". A
man stopped by Barclay Recording with his botched cassette recording of last
year's performance, hoping we could fix it. It wasn't practical, and I got the
assignment of doing a "professional" recording.
The man's son played Amahl, and his voice was changing, so this was the last
time he'd be able to perform it. He had a good voice, but the bass (who was
19, I think) had a voice that would not been out of place in a professional
production.
------------------------
Here is my take on "Amahl and the Night Visitors". It is not an attack on
religion, but on people's materialistic and anthropomorphic views of God.
Amahl steps forward, holding his crutch in front of him, as an offering.
Amahl
Perhaps he is a cripple like me…
The hovel suddenly grows dark, lit only with an eerie blue glow. A voice
thunders from everywhere, and nowhere.
God
How dare you suggest that My perfect Son is a cripple…?!
Before Amahl can say “I didn’t say he was a cripple, only that he might be.”,
Amahl emits a cry of abject terror. His body begins to burn in sulfurous
yellow flames. For a full three minutes, he writhes and screams in the agony
of infinite pain, and wails with the emptiness of the eternally damned. His
mother covers her ears and turns away, unable to watch or listen.
At the end, he is reduced to a burned and charred skeleton, with only a few
shreds of flesh still clinging to it. (No, he doesn’t become Darth Vader.)
Amazingly, the skeleton tries to take a step forward. There is a blinding bolt
of blue-white lightning, and the blackened bones are reduced to primordial
dust.
God
Rot in hell, blasphemer!
There is a moment of silence. Then, Amahl’s mother speaks.
Amahl’s
Mother
Is this my child’s reward for an unselfish act of kindness? Is there no
justice?
God
Whatever I AM does is just! Join your son, blasphemous bitch!
A gigantic rock, almost the size of the hovel, falls through the roof and
crushes Amahl’s mother to pita-like flatness.
The magi stand in shocked silence, not knowing what to do or say.
God
Well? Get your asses moving! (And no wisecracks about how you’re riding
camels.) You’ve got gifts to deliver to My Son. And don’t think I don’t know
about the licorice. Make sure Joseph gets all of it. I owe him something for
rendering him speechless.
Kaspar
Uh… that was John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah…
Another lightning bolt blasts the magus—and his licorice—into oblivion.
God
Damn! I’ve got to stop making mistakes like that… [beat] Well? I know you’re
just dying to say something about how “God can do anything.” Well, don’t say
it, or you //will// be dying. Hell, I’ve got better things to do than
materialize licorice.
news:CrOdnXr9oPlZvBDJ...@giganews.com...
> I think that it is quite sad that so few performances of Menotti's
> "Amahl and the Night Visitors" are being performed these days.
printed copies.
> I think that it is a great opera, and certainly deserves to be
> performed during the holiday season.
> What do you think?
"Inane drivel" would be a good description. I'm old enough to have seen a live
performance on NBC. I wasn't old enough to appreciate how awful it was.
I'm not bothered with Menotti's populist music. ("Amahl" was written for TV.)
I'm annoyed by the story's cloying cuteness, and its glaring lack of sense.
Amahl and his mother are close to dying from starvation, yet when the Magi
show up, the neighbors drop in with a feast that would put Martha Stewart to
shame.
Amahl is a cripple, so we know from the start exactly how the story will end.
Had the mother -- after she stole from the Magis -- been eaten by a camel,
there would have been //something// surprising in the tale.
------------------------
The first live recording I ever made was of a local performance of "Amahl". A
man stopped by Barclay Recording with his botched cassette recording of last
year's performance, hoping we could fix it. It wasn't practical, and I got the
assignment of doing a "professional" recording.
The man's son played Amahl, and his voice was changing, so this was the last
time he'd be able to perform it. He had a good voice, but the bass (who was
19, I think) had a voice that would not been out of place in a professional
production.
------------------------
Here is my take on "Amahl and the Night Visitors". It is not an attack on
religion, but on people's materialistic and anthropomorphic views of God.
Amahl steps forward, holding his crutch in front of him, as an offering.
Amahl
Perhaps he is a cripple like me…
The hovel suddenly grows dark, lit only with an eerie blue glow. A voice
thunders from everywhere, and nowhere.
God
How dare you suggest that My perfect Son is a cripple…?!
Before Amahl can say “I didn’t say he was a cripple, only that he might be.”,
Amahl emits a cry of abject terror. His body begins to burn in sulfurous
yellow flames. For a full three minutes, he writhes and screams in the agony
of infinite pain, and wails with the emptiness of the eternally damned. His
mother covers her ears and turns away, unable to watch or listen.
At the end, he is reduced to a burned and charred skeleton, with only a few
shreds of flesh still clinging to it. (No, he doesn’t become Darth Vader.)
Amazingly, the skeleton tries to take a step forward. There is a blinding bolt
of blue-white lightning, and the blackened bones are reduced to primordial
dust.
God
Rot in hell, blasphemer!
There is a moment of silence. Then, Amahl’s mother speaks.
Amahl’s
Mother
Is this my child’s reward for an unselfish act of kindness? Is there no
justice?
God
Whatever I AM does is just! Join your son, blasphemous bitch!
A gigantic rock, almost the size of the hovel, falls through the roof and
crushes Amahl’s mother to pita-like flatness.
The magi stand in shocked silence, not knowing what to do or say.
God
Well? Get your asses moving! (And no wisecracks about how you’re riding
camels.) You’ve got gifts to deliver to My Son. And don’t think I don’t know
about the licorice. Make sure Joseph gets all of it. I owe him something for
rendering him speechless.
Kaspar
Uh… that was John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah…
Another lightning bolt blasts the magus—and his licorice—into oblivion.
God
Damn! I’ve got to stop making mistakes like that… [beat] Well? I know you’re
just dying to say something about how “God can do anything.” Well, don’t say
it, or you //will// be dying. Hell, I’ve got better things to do than
materialize licorice.
EvelynVogtGamble(Divamanque)
Dec 14, 2014, 2:18:10 PM12/14/14
to
on PBS, which was the last bastion for classical music), I fear we are
doomed to disappointment.
maryfly...@gmail.com
Jun 22, 2017, 5:55:54 PM6/22/17
to
sawyeralc...@gmail.com
Dec 3, 2017, 1:26:00 PM12/3/17
to
I had the experience of being part of a production as a shepherd. I loved being part of the inspirational message, the amazing music, and the entertaining kings! I would love to share it with my grandchildren, but have never been able to. I consider it at loss for mankind.
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