Mad about the town; spring Greene

Last Friday, I had the chance to jump-start a recent resolution: to get off my assiduously pursue more of the many, many opportunities here in Madison to enjoy arts of all sorts. Although the UW campus isn't at all far from where I live and do business, I rarely find myself on campus on weekdays. But this past Friday, there I was, doing a guest-speaker stint in a law school class on legal ethics (and yes, Virginia, there are courses on legal ethics in law school), and I realized that I could just walk over to the student union box office to pick up a ticket to see Murray Perahia that same night. I did not know what the program would be until arriving for the performance, and I let out a little whoop (inaudible, I hope) when I saw that it included a Beethoven sonata, one of the late ones (no. 28). This sonata is a favorite: it's accessible, and complex, and has a symmetry that satisfies...technically speaking, it's just plain wonderful. As was the performance.

Meanwhile, I've just heard that the Madison Opera will be putting on The End of the Affair (in a production substantially revised from its Houston debut, they say) next spring. I have to say that I don't appreciate opera viscerally (which I think you sorta have to do to really get it)...too much left-brain interference, probably...but I'm excited to see what will be done with my favorite Graham Greene novel, which surely has such operatic potential, no? And yes, there's a lot of Greene in the air these days (links, links, links at Maud Newton, courtesy of Golden Rule Jones, with yet more links); oh boy, just the thing to stir up my Graham Greene jag from my twenties...so many obsessions, so little time.

But wait a minute...speaking of operatic potential, why hasn't The Good Soldier received the treatment yet? I can almost hear the arias now:

John Dowell: This is the saddest story I have ever heard.
Florence: And so the whole round table is begun.
Leonora: Don't you know...don't you know that I'm an Irish Catholic?
Bagshawe: By Jove! Florry Hurlbird. Do you know who that is?
John Dowell: Now I can marry the girl.
Leonora / Nancy: You must stay here...to save Edward...He's dying for love of you. / I know it...and I am dying for love of him.
Edward Ashburnham: So long, old man, I must have a bit of a rest, you know.

(But here's the thing: even though the libretto would pretty much write itself, should it be a tragic or a comic opera? Even after many years and many readings, I am still not so sure.)

Comments

[avril]

I am also a huge Graham Greene fan and wrote several papers in college on his novels. Have you see "The Quiet American" yet? It doesn't disappoint....

[Chan S.]

I'm still a fervent Greene fan, although it's been some years since always having one of his books on the nightstand. I'd like to see "The Quiet American", too...but the usual timespan between first-run and when I get around to seeing a movie, uninterrupted by kids, has been running about five years (exaggerating. but only slightly.). Definitely time to re-read The End of the Affair, though. Now--what's your favorite Greene?