Ned Rorem - 8 January, 1988

from Lies: A Diary 1986-1999, page 112:

Reaction to The Phantom of the Opera, for Bernard Holland of the N.Y.T.:

"I recall enjoying Jesus Christ Superstar, although it was a showbiz pastiche of everything from Palestrina to Penderecki. What it lacked in originality it made up for in the infectious chutzpah of youth laid forth with skilled clarity. THe tunes were corny, yes, but corn in itself is not unhealthy.

Well, seventeen years have passed, the chutzpah's soured into commerce, the corn into smarm. In The Phantom of the Opera the charming vulgarity of …   more >>

cite as

Ned Rorem, Lies: A Diary 1986-1999 (New York, 2002), p. 112. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1436821192766 accessed: 12 December, 2024

Listeners

Ned Rorem
Critic, essayist, Composer, Diarist […]
1923-

Listening to

hide composers
Phantom of the Opera
written by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Experience Information

Date/Time 8 January, 1988
Medium live
Listening Environment in the company of others, indoors, in public

Originally submitted by pashworth on Mon, 13 Jul 2015 21:59:53 +0100
Approved on Tue, 02 Feb 2016 00:19:49 +0000