distressing news

[Alina Israeli]

I agree with most everything Thomas Keenan has said. I think there are two
things that were at play: 1) his early association with the librettist Tim
Rice was extremely beneficial; 2) in the early days he pursued fame, later
on he pursued fortune, and to earn fame you need to please a few, in order
to earn a fortune you need to please millions.


>Come on! - why don't you say what you really think?!
>
>While being no musicologist, I think that AL-W has had an enormous,
>popularising impact, certainly in the UK.  I personally don't care for his
>musical style at all, but far more people know about, eg Eva Peron et al.
>than would have been the case without Evita.  Maybe his M&M might actually
>lead far more people to read the book than would have otherwise.


There is a difference between a local historical figure like Eva Peron and
a novel which can be found in your naighborhood/internet store.

How many people rushed to the book after seeing Greta Garbo in the role of
Anna Karenina? or Audrey Hepburn as Natasha Rostova? I doubt those numbers
are high.

So I doubt that those busload of Times Square will rush to read the book
either, but on the other hand any promorion is better than none, any PR
firm will confirm that.

And if per chance there is another gifted composer who is interested in the
story, there may be yet "a remake", some 50 years down the road (may we all
live that long!). There are two operas "The Barber of Seville", why not two
"Masters and Margaritas" (after all it was also a "remake" of sorts).

__________________________
 Alina Israeli
 LFS, American University
 4400 Mass. Ave., NW
 Washington, DC 20016

 phone:    (202) 885-2387
 fax:      (202) 885-1076 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------