One of the major characters in Woody Allen's upcoming movie, "Melinda
& Melinda," is a Manhattan composer.  His claim to fame - one opera
performed at Yale, another scheduled to run at the "Santa Fe Opera House"
(sic) - wins the heart of a (married) character played by Chloe Sevigny.

Playing the role is Chiwetel Ejiofor (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0252230/),
so superb in "Dirty Pretty Things." Question: given Woody Allen's habit
of blurring the line between fact and fiction, is "Ellis" modeled after
someone?

At any rate, there is no sample offered of the fictitious operas (too bad:
would love to see Allen's take on Euro- or even US-Trash), but the film
- his most unpretentious and best since the 20-year-old "Purple Rose of
Cairo" - is suffused with music: Stravinsky's and Ellington's.

The Stravinsky is brilliant: the opening bars from the Concerto in D,
repeated several times through the film, as a kind of leitmotif.  That
hesitating, ambigious theme is perfect for the film, which is the retelling
of the same story as a drama and a comedy.  Even as Allen "can't make
up his mind" which way to go, the music does the same.  Just as after
seeing Balanchine's ballet set on the Concerto, you leave "Melinda" with
the music taking up permanent residence in your head.

Unrelated "breaking news" from

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=58347910&p=58348zyz&n=58348290

   Pavarotti to sing Deep Purple classic

   March 11, 2005

   Legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti will lend his voice to a
   new version of Deep Purple classic "Smoke on the Water" for
   a new retrospective album, covering the 40 year career of
   rocker Ian Gillan.

   Pavarotti, 69, has performed with the band in the past - and
   enjoys a friendship with Deep Purple singer Gillan - but won't
   be joining them in the studio.

   Instead, Pavarotti will record his vocals on the new version
   of the 1972 track in his homeland of Italy.

Janos Gereben
www.sfcv.org
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