Breaking: First news of Breaking Bad, the opera…

Breaking: First news of Breaking Bad, the opera…

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norman lebrecht

October 09, 2013

The New York-based composer-conductor-headline-catcher Sung Jin Hong is writing an opera based on the hit TV series and a sonnet by Shelley.

That’s what he announces on his website.

How will I compose this mini-opera? Should I consider having specific characters from the drama? How about setting my music to unforgettable moments from the show? Should I focus instead on Shelley’s sonnet, devoted to a single metaphor for the pride and the unrelenting pursuit for power? It is tempting to fully dive into the universe of Breaking Bad and embrace its elements, depicting moral chaos.

Premiere scheduled next January.The-Composer-and-his-cat

Comments

  • Michael Schaffer says:

    I met Dean Norris, one of the stars of the TV series, in a bar in Wilmington, NC a few months ago. Except that I had no idea who he was since I don’t watch much TV…The other people who were there sitting at the bar with us simply couldn’t believe that. I guess it is hard to imagine for some people that there are people who don’t watch TV all day.

    • You realize that you don’t need to watch TV ALL DAY to watch the show? Why do people brag about not watching TV?

      • Michael Schaffer says:

        A very good question! Unfortunately, I can’t give an answer since I am not bragging about not watching TV. I just don’t watch much TV, that’s just a simple fact, nothing I would want to brag about.

        I just thought it was funny that the people I met there were completely astonished that I didn’t know who that actor was, and that I had never heard of the TV show either. Later, when the conversation moved into different areas, it turned out none of them knew the difference between Iran and Iraq and which of those countries the US had had troops in for years, but they were sure that “it’s good we are bombing them”.

        But they *did* know a lot about current TV shows. Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses, I guess.

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