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HaUnTiNg MuSiC

© Roslind M. Sherman

" GATHER IN, GATHER IN ALL THAT HAS BEEN HEREIN ". All Hallow's E've is nigh, PLEASE... Partake as we entertain a mischievous journey into the realm of " UNDYING SPIRITS ".

WaRnInG.... ThIs WiLl NoT Be A nOrMal ExPeRiEnCe.

Opera Houses, Concert Halls and Theatres have always been privy to the occasional ghost story. And, WHY NOT, I mean, it seems right that the artistic spirit should be DYING to live on and on and on.

Collections of ghosts, mysteries and folklore flood the performing community with music and storylines that unwittingly conjure up the most lavish and outlandish creativity.

Shakespeare's, Macbeth boasts, not one, but three of the most famous witches on the planet.

VeRdI's OpEra, MaCbEtH

ACT ONE: The three witches appear, bragging of their evil deeds. When Macbeth approaches, they dance and sing hysterically.

ACT THREE: In a cave, on a dark, stormy night, the crones evoke evil sceptres and brew magical potions. Macbeth arrives requesting insight, prophecy into his future. Immediately, three apparitions warn him to BEWARE of McDUFF.

Guiseppe Verdi's musical genius , transports the audience, attesting to the enduring romance between reality and the spiritual world.

ACT FOUR: Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking, narrating the atrocities that she and her husband have committed.

For a glimpse into this shadowy deception, listen to the Sleepwalking Scene on the newly released, Maria Callas CD, " VERDI'S ARIAS 1 ".

Public audiences revel in the sorcery and mysticism of the unexpected. This curiosity of the unknown is possibly, why, raging thunderstorms, hags, kings and queens, murderers and adulterous behaviour reigns supreme in the manifestion of music and entertainment. We do seem to affectionately enjoy a suspenseful, ' WHO DONE IT ", scenario.

As the wheel turns, " FULL CIRCLE ", into the celebration of the medieval festival, may I suggest,a rather ghoulish musical interlude.

TITLE COMPOSER " Danse macabre "................ Camille Saint-Saen

CD/RECORDING " Au jardin des aveux " or " French Songs and Duets "

ARTISTS......................Anne Murray and Phillip Langridge

TRANSLATION ( partial )

"Zig and zig and zig, Death rhythmically tapping his heels on the tombstone. Death at midnight plays a dance tune. Zig and zig and zig, On his violin."

PaRiS HaUnTiNgS

For centuries, the PARIS OPERA HOUSE, , Gaiete-Lyrique, has endured many paranormal incidents, including ghosts. None are more vivid than the extraordinary appearance of Massenet during the premiere of his last opera ," PANURGE ".

A New York Times article, dated April 21, 1931, related the breath-taking details of, " a man dressed in the familiar gray cloak, standing in the right-hand corner of the stage, beating time with his hands and gently nodding his head in approval or disapproval."