Initially, I passively listened to the You Tube clips of Argento’s The Aspern Papers, which I wasn’t overly thrilled about. Then I read the novella and the article, followed by listening to the clips again and somehow I still feel very ambivalent about the opera. Although the music was luscious and swelling, I felt disconnected for a two reasons; I wanted it to be sung in Italian and I was so captivated by the novel that I had a hard time translating the characters I had imagined onto the stage.
The bel canto quality infused in Argento’s score really lends itself well to the inherent rhythm of the Italian language. I appreciate Argento’s attempt at preserving the integrity of James ambiguous intentions regarding nationality, yet there was an apparent void. It was mentioned in class that James was an American writer who lived abroad, which is reflected in his style of music; the juxtaposition of the Italian style sung in English that doesn’t reflect a specific nationality. However, the harshness of the English language and the beauty of the line didn’t quite cut it for me. Instead, the text and melodic line reminded me of Albert Herring in a very odd way. Harmonically and textually, no, but the way Argento wrote the melodic line and set the text definitely, which is why I think the opera doesn’t flow as mellifluously as it could have, had it been sung in Italian. Yet, this since of displacement and ambiguity may have been Argento’s goal.
My second reason is more of a personal issue, rather than a defect in the opera. Allow me to give a personal example. I am an avid, overly obsessed fan of the Harry Potter books. I read all of the books… no wait; I read all of the books twice before I ever even considered watching any of the movies, which I wish I hadn’t done. With that said, watching the movies shattered all of the images I had created in my imagination. Henry James novel had the same exact effect on me as any other great piece of literature does. His eloquent, descriptive writing filled my head with striking images and vivid descriptions of each character. I don’t feel like his novel is easily translated onto a stage because of James’ flowery, vastly ambiguous style of writing. Furthermore, James’ writing paints such glorious images that it might be better left alone to its own devices as a novel.
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