In truth, I'm not really so into Elvis Costello, although I have liked what early songs of his I've heard, but I figured this bit of news, so vaguely literary-related, was worth sharing:
Elvis Costello has made a career out of confounding his fans. Over the years the man behind Oliver's Army has made a country album, worked with Burt Bacharach and made an unashamedly romantic album of love songs. Now he looks likely to baffle audiences again - by writing an opera.
Costello is preparing to write a piece of lyric theatre based on the life of Hans Christian Andersen. It will premiere at the Royal Danish Opera in October.
He has made several forays into the classical music world already, having composed a ballet and collaborated with both the Brodsky Quartet and the Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter. But the complexities of operatic writing will provide him with his biggest challenge yet.
No kidding. The interesting thing was that the Danish Opera actually approached Costello with the commission:
"We looked around the serious end of the rock scene for a person we thought could contribute to our art form. We very quickly came up with Elvis.
"We went to see him in Dublin with the idea of doing something about Hans Christian Andersen. We thought we would be teaching him about Andersen but he knew all about him.
"He already had a very operatic idea: that of a staged song cycle connected with the life of Andersen and actually about the writer's obsession with Jenny Lind [the Swedish soprano].
"There is an element of fiction: in Costello's version, Andersen has written Lind a number of secret arias (he was also something of an actor and composer) and the scenario is that he presents his pieces to her for the first time to sing."
No question Costello has always and continues to march to his own drummer.
He also appeared on an episode of "Two and a Half Men" with Charlie Sheen and... Sean Penn. The mind melts.
Posted by: alina adams | January 27, 2005 at 09:48 AM
He also did an album with the Brodsky String Quartet, "The Juliet Letters" which is a very impressive piece of work. Costello's lyrics are, indeed, very literate.
I wouldn't be too quick to disparage this project.
Posted by: Otis | January 27, 2005 at 10:03 AM
Good point, Otis. I do admire that Costello pretty much does whatever he wants and doesn't worry about being pigeonholed (not unlike my man Shel Silverstein.) Although I know several folks who read this blog who will be slapping their heads in frustration over this news...
Posted by: Sarah | January 27, 2005 at 01:02 PM
Ah no, Costello can do what he wants. Just as long as it's not "North". Which made me physically shake with anger, it was that bad.
Posted by: Ray | January 28, 2005 at 03:33 AM