Operatic Collaboration Zone

[Eiric S. Börnatfiglheu]

Ladies and Gents,

Recently, I approached Baron Hooligan about the prospect of, eventually, producing live versions of his Talossan Language operas. The kicker is, they're not quite finished. Writing still needs doing, as well as some musical work.

So I'm setting up this thread as a place where those of us who have signed on to the project can get down to business in the full view of the Talossan public. For a few reasons. Firstly, I feel cultural creation works well in full view of everyone. Secondly, with the world watching, the peer pressure might get us to actually finish the work.

As a director, producer, and dramaturg I will note that this is not my first time using spoken Talossan onstage. I have used it in numerous productions where characters are to speak but not be understood (necessarily) by the audience. Mores the pity, no footage made it into my possession. But I must say, it lends itself to verbal expression in the theatre environment.

The eventual goal will be a production, most likely amateur, of the operas for a live audience. If I have my druthers, I will take it either to Talossa itself or a major population center of the diaspora. Then we can record it and share it everywhere. I have also thought about trying to produce it in a venue like Second Life if it cannot be done otherwise. There have been some "live" theatre experiments using this technology. Not my favoured approach, but we'll see.

With excitement, I remain:

[Eiric Biançéu]

I am at your service!

[Dame Litz Cjantscheir, UrN]

I'm in!

[Benedict Stamford]

like the screaming fat chicks in viking helmets?

[Eðo Grischun]

I can play/record percussion (drum kits, hand drums, timpini, marimba, kettle drums)

Eðo
(holder of qualifications from the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama in Percussion
and hasn't seriously touched an instrument for 10 years but would pick it back up for something worthwhile like this).

[Danihel Teziun]

aww man i am banned from second life...only took 5 minutes

[Eiric S. Börnatfiglheu]

Well, Second Life is only an idea if I cannot get the resources together to produce it in real space.

[Eiric S. Börnatfiglheu]

At the current time, I'm looking at the book and beginning to think about some basic staging, as well as general flavour. The question is do we wish to go tongue-in-cheek and try to mimic a metropolitan opera... or do we perhaps do the Brecht/Weill route and do something more akin to a music hall opera? Perhaps arrangements for 2-3 musicians? I've played trumpet for years, but my music theory and composition isn't the greatest. I'm conversant, and have good pitch, but that's about it.

Personally, and this is my personal peccadillo, I prefer to keep keep it polished and within our capabilities. What is our author thinking? How about our composers?

[Ián Tamorán S.H.]

I play a few musical instruments (piano, church organ, violin, recorders... and, no, I do not mean just the one squeaky descant recorder that we cruelly inflict on children, but all the recorders - sopranino, descant, treble, tenor and bass), and I can read and write music. Am I of any use? (I do hope so!)

[Eiric S. Börnatfiglheu]

Recorders? Ooooh. I am intrigued, to be very honest. I have, in my imagination, that Talossan music would be wind-based, as opposed to skewing towards strings. But then, I'm just directing once we have the pieces together.

So who all is working on what? Is anyone already at a book with hammer and tongs?

[Eðo Grischun]

I've just had a listen to the recording of 'El mätsch serà eschitatorxheu' ('The match will be exciting') sung by Nikü Spyropoulos. I had no idea that Talossan was such a beautiful sounding language. I mean I've heard snippets spoken here and there, but this, wow! The 80's sounding synth gives me a little cringe though.

Anyway, listening to this I have a couple of ideas for a percussive drum score. For this chorus, at least, I'm thinking it could suit a military snare composition, leading in for a cycle before the lyrics and building to a crescendo for the punches in the air. Either that or some nice hand tom-tom sounds for that Berber feel.

Questions:
a) I am looking at the right materials, yeah?
b) How much musical score has been done so far?
c) Where is it?

[Hooligan]

Mar 28, 2012 20:49:52 GMT -6 Eðo Grischun said:

I've just had a listen to the recording of 'El mätsch serà eschitatorxheu' ('The match will be exciting') sung by Nikü Spyropoulos. I had no idea that Talossan was such a beautiful sounding language. I mean I've heard snippets spoken here and there, but this, wow!

OFF-(OPERATIC)-TOPIC: Anyone who wants to hear Talossan spoken well should be sure to check out Sir Iustì Canun reading his translation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" or him reading his translation of Frederic Brown's "The Response".

As for your questions:

a) Yes

b) What you heard (for which we don't have written music; at least I never got any from Nikü that I recall) and I wrote a quick melody line for "I am Nutz" (also available, I believe, on that same page where you listened to Nikü singing his contributed tune). That is all. Which is why we have so much work to do. (Note, though, that a very few of the songs will be set to adaptations of popular tunes; as people choose songs to compose, I will describe to them whether it is one of those, why, etc.)

c) Nowhere. (Well, my "I am Nutz" melody line is probably in my MIDI sequencing program on my home computer, actually.)

[Niclau Patíci]

I can't believe I didn't see this ever before, I'll join!

[Hooligan]

More good news. My non-Talossan sister Laura (who wrote the music for my Talossan Christmas carol) is here in town for my family's reunion and told me last night that she had started work on compositions for the opera score, taking what she did for the Christmas carol as being a "Talossan style" and merging it with Verdi (who I had told her is my favourite operatic composer and whose work it would be best to emulate if at all possible).

Even MORE good news -- to "practice" this merged style, she wrote an original song for Talossa (to add to its pantheon of "Patriotic songs" if we wish, I suppose) which will make its debut this evening at the inauguration of the PM.

I really better get back to work on finishing the third opera....

Hool