I haven’t seen it, though I previously mentioned it based on a review in the New York Sun. That would be John Corigliano’s “Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan,” a kind of song-cycle with soprano and orchestra, utilizing Bob Dylan’s lyrics but not his original melodies. Thanks very much to reader Dana who saw a recent performance in Buffalo, NY and sends these impressions:

It was interesting… especially since Corigliano (according to his intro, America’s most beloved living composer?) claims to have had NO familiarity with Dylan’s work prior to conducting a search for a worthy, living American poet whose work he would put to music. Some were very powerful (Chimes of Freedom), some incredibly funny (when was the last time you had an operatic soprano sing with perfect diction a line like “then my neighbor, he blew his nose?” from Clothes Line Saga) and some very tender and touching (Forever Young).

Corigliano introduced the work with the usual banal interpretations of Dylan’s artistic development: from questions - what’s it all about, what are the answers? to anger and protest! to pensive calls to remain young at heart. He skipped right over Dylan’s most direct body of work where he presents in no uncertain terms the answers to life’s most vexing questions.

Still it was interesting to hear how one might hear Dylan’s work if he had never heard it before. Not sure how often I would want to hear it again but was pleased to have heard it even if I ain’t gonna hear it no more. My question for Corigliano: when he spoke to him, did he hear?

He also forwards a link to an interesting review of the performance from the Buffalo News.

In addition, Dana says that the concert was recorded for broadcast on PBS (that’s U.S. public, i.e. non-commercial television). When they’ll show it, I don’t know, but I’d bet a few bucks that it’ll be during one of their fund-raising drives. Correction 3/9/2007: Dana mis-spoke — it was actually recorded for National Public Radio — no word yet on when it will be broadcast.

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