Walter Meyer:

>I plan to be in NYC on December 12, when the Met will be presenting
>Bolcom's opera *A View from the Bridge* based upon the Arthur Miller
>play.
>
>I know little about Bolcom other than that I believe he won a
>Pulitzer Prize a while back and accompanied his wife's beautiful
>singing of some 19th century music hall songs (I think that's how
>you would describe them).
>
>Should I try to attend the opera or would I do better to same my
>money and/or see a show in town instead?

I have listened to a great deal of Bolcom and find his music.  I'd say
that much of it is in the eclectic quintessentially American vein.  Think
a modern Bernstein.  He uses a lot of jazzy harmonies and rhythms.  He
is also capable of writing some of the most endearing melodies around;
I cite his 'Orphee-Serenade' for that.  Granted, the 'Serenade' has some
'noisy' bits, but nothing daunting at all.  And there is one melody,
based on just three notes, mind you, that has a harmonic underpinning
that makes it simply gorgeous.  (Think of the horn theme of the last
movement of Mahler's Ninth, for instance.  Same feeling, but American
in tone.)

His piano music is delightful.  He's written a set of etudes recorded
by none other than supervirtuoso Marc-Andre Hameling, and they are
wonderful.  Also he's written a bunch of 'modern' rags that are terrific,
too.

View from the Bridge was given at the Chicago Lyric; Walter, you might
look for some reviews of that.  It was recorded and snippets can be heard
at

   http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005M998/classicalnetA/

Scott Morrison