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Brevity is always a quality of writing and film I’ve admired. To be honest, I sometimes close my eyes just so that I can internally roll them whenever a fellow student complains about not being able to fit all of their analysis/observations/feelings into only ten pages. As much as I do love to write, being concise has never really been a problem for me. I also find myself never being able to sit still for longer than about an hour and a half — so needless to say, I’m dreading the four hour documentary I have to watch for a class tomorrow.

Probably the master of the minimalist writing craft is the great Ernest Hemingway. In fact, he is often cited as writing the famous six-word story: “For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.”

And these two short sentences are a story. Yes, he is leaving it up to the reader to fill in the details — what happened? Was there actually a baby? Did s/he die? Or was a woman hoping to conceive, but unsuccessful in her attempts? There are many options, and ultimately, Hemingway is entrusting his audience to create their own prologues and epilogues for the scene to which he alludes. However, he does maintain overall control of his story because the six words are still able to evoke emotion within the reader, regardless of what explanation for the shoes they come up with. It is nearly impossible to consider a situation in which this anecdote is a joyful one. In their simplicity and gravity, the words carry so much weight.

And while creating a story in six words is impressive, I saw a similar distillation strategy employed in the National Gallery of Canada last spring. There was this exhibition of significant Canadian figures — be they activists, celebrities, politicians, etc. Next to their portraits on the walls, they had short bios, which began by giving the reader three words to describe the person. This one was my favorite:

“Goalie. Innovator. Knitter.

Goaltender Jacques Plante once said that playing goal was like being shot at. Plante, who led the Montreal Canadiens to six Stanley Cup wins, took action to protect himself. In 1959, he changed the face of professional hockey when he skated onto the ice wearing a fiberglass mask. Off ice, Plante spent much of his spare time knitting, which he claimed helped to calm his nerves.”

Now, although I may have normally seen the word “Goaltender” and walked right by, as sports of any type are not exactly my forte, I was immediately hooked into reading the paragraph below because I wanted to know what he innovated and why he knitted. I learned something about a person that I may have overlooked if it had not been for the short and carefully-chosen description that drew me in.

What is light – is color, weight – is thought – is fire licking a dry log – is bug crawling up stalk – is hexagon in bee hives – is replication – geometry – smell of bacon, lingers all day – is the best kind – soul food – mind food – is my seventh cervical vertebrae – out of line – joints and bones and fibers – is jungle bird freakin’ out – wild flashing colors – is a dance – finding mates – in the air – in the clouds – in the grass – underground – full and empty, all around – right on time – in your face – art is truth – is a lie – is the money – just like time – art is time – in the books – is a habit – in the sun – flicking corner smile – is addicting, is a drug – is repulsive – art’s a bitch – pain in ass – is a good book – On The Road – a good night’s sleep – a balled-up wad – the tip of a cigarette – eyelash stuck on finger – stray hair – nervous tick – what comes out when no one’s there – art’s for dinner – is what’s up – holds us all together – holds me together – is the strongest glue – breaks apart – art decay, death by art – is motion – gesture – stride – is a firm hand shake – is a stubbed toe on sidewalk edge – is a root – knot in rope – in your hair – Charlie horse – art’s what’s there – what is not – art evolves – is a game – life or death – heat – sweat – lack of sleep – is a Coney dog, side of hash – hung over – rip in pants – in the crotch – under sheets – art is tension – fear – a joke, a gag – a good piece of gum – last forever – is time again – is life – in the air – is a challenge – isn’t fair  – is tree leaning over sidewalk – steamrolled flag relief, waved around – is a shout – art is bark with so much to say, with an H carved in the side – palace pillars hugged by half nudes at the top – broken glass on ledges – is the pigeon who likes Poptarts – deer eating out of hands – wooden sculpted man, lifting other up – art is mirror puddle at base of trunk downtown – is beat book store, holes in ceiling – empty bathroom shelves – metallic ink that plays the drums on turn tables – rocks with small white shells all over – is the First Baptist Church in neon lights – is a beautiful curse – what’s an Art?

The only thing better than comic opera, is opera seria with a bit of comedy thrown in.

Last night at the opening of the U of M spring opera, I came prepared to see a dramatic opera piece with beautiful vocals, but what I saw was light-hearted and jocular. Michigan’s voice majors reminded me why I keep coming back to each performance. The vocals were breathtaking, the sets were mystical, and the air about the Mendelssohn was rife with magic.

Prior to my viewing, I was familiar with some of the music, but not with the libretto.

I found the story to be enchanting. It begins in a little girl’s bedroom where she overhears her parents arguing just outside. To get away from the noise and sleep soundly, she plays with her dolls and takes shelter under her sheets. After a few minutes, she hears a sound and rumbling coming from her armoire. The rumbling becomes more and more frequent until a prince tumbles out of the armoire, followed closely by a dragon. He runs out of her room while a band of women defeat the dragon. They are women of the night who work for the Queen of the Night. They choose the prince to save a lost princess and choose the wacky local bird catcher to be his sidekick. The prince takes one look at the portrait of the princess and falls madly in love (no surprises there).

But then, after the fairytale-esque opening, the opera takes a cerebral turn. The land that the prince goes to is not one ruled by knights or wizards, but rather by scholars. The tone of the music turns intellectual and calculated when the prince encounters the wise king who has the princess incarcerated, if only to protect her from her overbearing mother, the queen.

Full of orange moons, draping seaweed, and yellow feathers, the opera is not as serious as one might think. Papageno (the wacky local bird catcher) provides many moments of comic relief, in contrast to the intense focus of prince (who takes a vow of silence for several numbers, in order to pass a test to win the hand of the princess).

The music is Mozart and was one of his final works before dying at age 35. The opera was not well-received in Berlin, but was adored in Prague. Probably the most famous number and the most impressive is Der Holle Rache (which I first heard in ‘Miss Congeniality‘ of all things). Der Holle Rache is the reason why opera tickets are so expensive and why opera singers are classically trained. It is the machine gun fire of the opera, sung by the lead female soprano, meaning that it is also light, airy and jaw-dropping.

All goes as
all is as all was
but now is gone

What will be
not yet
only now is
gone all the rest

And lines of poetry
shouldn’t start with “and”

There isn’t should’ve
only could’ve but
didn’t didn’t
and won’t won’t

You are not in the Void
The Void is in you