My musical July

I have a very exciting set of musical events planned for July, ranging from the icy empress Turandot at the Bowl to the gravel-voiced guru Dylan at the Orange County Fair.

It started spectacularly at the 25th anniversary production of “Les Miserables” at the Ahmanson Theatre.  I took my younger son Lorenzo and his friends Gerald, Alexi, and Ranly--all about 19 years old.  We loved it.  It is of course a deeply moving work in so many ways--exhilarating at times, then tragic, comic, inspirational.  Like the novel, the musical is firmly on the side of the oppressed--prisoners, prostitutes, workers, students, children--and it captures both the sweeping historical drama of struggle against authority and the poignant personal dramas of love and loss that play out on that big stage.  In this sense it reminds me of the operas of Giuseppe Verdi, my favorite operatic composer. 

I know Verdi’s operas pretty well, and many of them take place at the intersection of history and personal drama.  I’m thinking of early works like Attila, Nabucco, Giovanna d’Arco, and of course the later masterpieces Simon Boccanegra, I Vespri Siciliani, Don Carlo, and Aida.  Some may find my comparison of Les Miserables with Verdi a bit of a stretch, but I’ve been asking myself why we don’t call Les Mis an opera?  It is completely sung with no spoken dialogue, and otherwise exhibits all of the characteristics of opera.  I’d love some comments on this matter. 

In any case, I love to be swept up in the passions of historical struggle, and so I love Les Miserables.  I confess to coming late to being a Les Mis fan however, and I know most of you have probably loved it for decades.  I was basically ignorant of the work until about a year ago when I started hearing songs from it at the opera and show tunes singer showcases I was going to.  I think I was too rigidly focused on opera to notice a mere musical.

I thought I should find out about it so I listened to a recording, then another, and then another!  In my usual semi-obsessive way I found and listened to all the various versions on CD and read all about the history of the musical.  I also watched as many of the film versions of the novel as I could find.  Then I listened to the other Boublil and Schonberg works--Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre, Pirate Queen, La Revolution Francaise. 

I came out of this whirlwind of listening and reading a genuine fan of Les Miserables, so when I saw that it was coming to LA I snatched up a bunch of tickets.  Lorenzo and his friends (whom I had previously taken to see Verdi’s great opera Rigoletto) enjoyed it very much, even though they had some trouble with the details of the plot.  We were all blown away by the drama and spectacle of the production as well as by the great singing.

I liked it so much I went right over to the box office and bought another ticket for next week.  I figured I might not have a lot of chances to see it for a while, so what the heck!

After the matinee performance we walked over to Clifton’s Cafeteria at Broadway & Seventh for dinner.  I remember going there as a child and try to go every so often now.  It hasn’t changed a bit.  By the way, Clifton was a real progressive during the depression and fed thousands of people at little or no cost. 

I have lots more great music lined up for the month. 

• This Friday I’m going to the Bowl to see the hybrid presentation of the movie “West Side Story” with the voices from the film and a live orchestra.  That should be exciting.  
• Then next Friday I’m going to hear Bob Dylan at the opening night of the Orange County Fair.  This is another case where I’m making up for lost time.  I had a mixed experience seeing him last year in Las Vegas (couldn’t understand a word!), but I love his music so much, especially the more recent CDs, that I feel I should see him again when I have the chance.  Dylan has been an artistic and cultural institution for half a century, and he is clearly one of the most profound and brilliant musical geniuses of all time.  And he belongs to MY generation!  I grew up listening to Dylan and now I’m growing old listening to Dylan. 
• I just got a ticket for the new musical “Twist” at the Pasadena Playhouse.  It sounds like a lot of fun. 
• Then I’m going to see Puccini’s “Turandot” at the Hollywood Bowl with Dudamel conducting and a great cast headed by Christine Brewer as the ice princess in a concert performance.  This is a thrilling opera with plenty of vocal pyrotechnics to fill the night air at the Bowl. 

All in all a great musical line up for July.  I’ll be sharing my experiences with all of you.