Page 162 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2024. Glasbena kritika – nekoč in danes ▪︎ Music Criticism – Yesterday and Today. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 7
P. 162
glasbena kritika – nekoč in danes | music criticism – yesterday and today
I also feel the choice not to show her excellence as a musician is,
certainly, intentional, and arguably artistically intelligent. Just as,
perhaps save for her bizarre roughing up of the schoolgirl, we don’t
see her abuse. Despite the brilliant actor’s presence in every sce-
ne, much of what is crucial remains offscreen, to be uncovered and
pondered on our own.
I have to agree that the film is not “about” music; nor, eventu-
ell (wie sagt man das?), even musicians. It’s a straight up tragedy,
sensitively and knowledgeably told in the experience-language of
music and musicians; no? (And, bitte sehr, we don’t *see* Oedipus
kill his father nor romance his mother.)
Yes, indeed; her German is excellent.
Finally, Alsop’s comments are tendentious misunderstandings.
Offended as a conductor, woman, and lesbian, was it? The first is
easily disposed. The plot dynamic concerns a person in a position
of power, based in artistic accomplishment. The second perspecti-
ve is more complex, indeed debatable. I think it does a disservice to
the film’s subtlety to view it as a male narrative cruelly and unjustly
stapled onto a female character. Yet I would not say that gender is
irrelevant. The key moment may be when she says early on that Al-
sop et. al. had prepared the way for her, so now she believes gender
is insignificant, NB, to *music*. She could be *wrong* in this, and
we must realize her error.
But I believe that the framework is that, thanks to art--thanks to
music--she is now in a position to indulge her tragic character
flaws, ultimately culminating in her downfall. That is more im-
portant to what’s happening than her lesbianism, or indeed her
gender.
The tiny scene towards the end when we find that her true name
is “Linda” and her social origins are ostensibly American working
class may be a subtle key. Her brother accuses her of living a lie
with her entire life. Otherwise, class is conspicuous by its absen-
ce throughout. Might the film be another telling of Gatsby? Worth
considering.
Wolfgang Marx (L) It’s not black and white in the Julliard sce-
ne, even if both of them make it appear that way. I don’t mean
that we should ignore JSB’s music, of course, but that the ar-
gument that art and artist can be kept separate is no longer
valid, at least not with regard to living ones. The first 30 mi-
nutes of the movie are so over-the-top anti-woke that it’s cle-
arly a caricature, particularly given that this doesn’t come up
again explicitly later on. I can’t imagine that any conservatoi-
re student would adopt that aggressive a stance in this kind of
162
I also feel the choice not to show her excellence as a musician is,
certainly, intentional, and arguably artistically intelligent. Just as,
perhaps save for her bizarre roughing up of the schoolgirl, we don’t
see her abuse. Despite the brilliant actor’s presence in every sce-
ne, much of what is crucial remains offscreen, to be uncovered and
pondered on our own.
I have to agree that the film is not “about” music; nor, eventu-
ell (wie sagt man das?), even musicians. It’s a straight up tragedy,
sensitively and knowledgeably told in the experience-language of
music and musicians; no? (And, bitte sehr, we don’t *see* Oedipus
kill his father nor romance his mother.)
Yes, indeed; her German is excellent.
Finally, Alsop’s comments are tendentious misunderstandings.
Offended as a conductor, woman, and lesbian, was it? The first is
easily disposed. The plot dynamic concerns a person in a position
of power, based in artistic accomplishment. The second perspecti-
ve is more complex, indeed debatable. I think it does a disservice to
the film’s subtlety to view it as a male narrative cruelly and unjustly
stapled onto a female character. Yet I would not say that gender is
irrelevant. The key moment may be when she says early on that Al-
sop et. al. had prepared the way for her, so now she believes gender
is insignificant, NB, to *music*. She could be *wrong* in this, and
we must realize her error.
But I believe that the framework is that, thanks to art--thanks to
music--she is now in a position to indulge her tragic character
flaws, ultimately culminating in her downfall. That is more im-
portant to what’s happening than her lesbianism, or indeed her
gender.
The tiny scene towards the end when we find that her true name
is “Linda” and her social origins are ostensibly American working
class may be a subtle key. Her brother accuses her of living a lie
with her entire life. Otherwise, class is conspicuous by its absen-
ce throughout. Might the film be another telling of Gatsby? Worth
considering.
Wolfgang Marx (L) It’s not black and white in the Julliard sce-
ne, even if both of them make it appear that way. I don’t mean
that we should ignore JSB’s music, of course, but that the ar-
gument that art and artist can be kept separate is no longer
valid, at least not with regard to living ones. The first 30 mi-
nutes of the movie are so over-the-top anti-woke that it’s cle-
arly a caricature, particularly given that this doesn’t come up
again explicitly later on. I can’t imagine that any conservatoi-
re student would adopt that aggressive a stance in this kind of
162
