Imagining books and music in quirky and creative ways
“Chemistry” off of Arcade Fire’s latest album “Everything Now” is a) super catchy and b) intriguingly similar to both the phantom from Phantom of the Opera and Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Continue reading “Songs for Every Book: Arcade Fire and The Phantom of the Opera”
They’re both super nosy, after all.
Mrs. Bennett has the benefit of experience. Since she’s older she’s been gossiping for a lot longer than Emma has…with disastrous consequences of course, but it could be a plus for her in this game. Emma, however, strikes Continue reading “Who Would Win a Game of Telephone: Mrs. Bennett or Emma Woodhouse?”
Classical Music Stories is a series that connects music to your favorite books and characters. Since listening to classical music can be like hearing a story (albeit an abstract one), imagining specific stories that match the music can make it that much more fun and accessible!
Like the last Classical Music Stories post on Anna Karenina and a Bach Cello Suite, you’ll probably recognize the opening of this one. I liked Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor K. 550 before (sometimes I really wish classical music had better titles), but once I started considering the similarities between it and A Tale of Two Cities the music Continue reading “Classical Music Stories: A Tale of Two Cities and a Mozart Symphony”
Last week Northwestern University saw its last performance of a concert production of The Who’s Tommy and I was fortunate enough to be able to serve as the assistant director for the incredible Geoff Button. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, the rock band The Who released a concept album in 1969 called “Tommy” which was later made into a musical (or rock opera if you will). It’s a story about a young boy (Tommy) who witnesses the murder of his mother’s lover by his parents after his father returns unexpectedly from war. Although his mother turns him away from the fight he sees everything through a mirror, and when Continue reading “The Who’s Tommy: A Rock Opera (As Experienced by an Assistant Director)”
Portraying stillness or inactivity is a pretty bizarre paradox in books and music when you stop to think about it because the only way to show stillness is to have movement! After all, what options do authors have of showing that a character is still? They Continue reading “The Irony of Portraying “Stillness” in Books (and Classical Music)”
If Mermaids Wore Suspenders 