Subject
Re: Nabokov/Onegin/LO-pera (fwd)
Date
Body
This, from the opera-list (which is currently discussing the RIPLEY movie
and its scene at the opera). Can you believe that there was a LOLITA opera?
-----------------------------
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>Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 20:18:01 -0500
>Reply-To: "www.gate.net/~monarch1 \"The Young Person's Guide to the
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>Sender: Discussion of opera and related issues <OPERA-L@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
>From: "www.gate.net/~monarch1 \"The Young Person's Guide to the
Opera\"" <monarch1@GATE.NET>
>Subject: Re: Nabokov/Onegin
>To: OPERA-L@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
>
>It might interest the list that I was hired by Kalmus to translate
"Eugene
>Onegin" despite the fact that I then knew no Russian. They sent me
>translations in Italian and German to work from (clearly they had faith in
>my poetic/musical abilities, since I had already translated a number of
>operas for them, from French, German and Italian - now available from Belwin
>Mills).
>Since the German and Italian versions often proved to be exact opposites (in
>the "T'odio", "Ich liebe Dich" manner), I bought a Russian dictionary and
>some Berlitz tapes. This was excessively labor intensive, and so I sought
>aid at the library. I had the incredible good fortune of finding Vladimir
>Nabokov's four-volume translation, with its dazzling footnotes relating each
>reference in the Pushkin to events in world history, literature, music, etc.
>This was my second introduction to Nabokov (my first having been the gift of
>"Lolita" from Ingo Preminger, for reasons which we need not discuss). Even
>at that young age, I was overwhelmed. I hope I delivered a decent
>translation of the opera (opera-listers can decide for themselves).
>Oddly enough, much later, the Nabokov connection became much stronger. Last
>year I was engaged to re-translate the opera "Lolita" (Rodion Shchedrin)
>into English from Swedish and Russian, which was possibly the greatest
>challenge and pleasure I've faced in my work as translator--challenge
>because of the difficulty of reconciling the expressive, detailed music with
>the author's exact words (which, as anyone familiar with Nabokov knows, are
>probably the most precise in literature, carrying echoes and overtones which
>cannot be ignored) and pleasure because of the sheer joy and beauty of his
>imagery.
>Ariane Csonka Comstock
>"The Young Person's Guide to the Opera"
Ajahn Bennett Lerner
25/1 Chang Peuak Road
Soi 2
Chiang Mai 50200
Thailand
Tel/Fax: 66 53 418-286
Email: bennett@loxinfo.co.th
and its scene at the opera). Can you believe that there was a LOLITA opera?
-----------------------------
>Return-Path: <owner-opera-l@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
>References: <200001080450.XAA56988@shasta.gate.net>
>X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
>X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2615.200
>Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 20:18:01 -0500
>Reply-To: "www.gate.net/~monarch1 \"The Young Person's Guide to the
Opera\"" <monarch1@GATE.NET>
>Sender: Discussion of opera and related issues <OPERA-L@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
>From: "www.gate.net/~monarch1 \"The Young Person's Guide to the
Opera\"" <monarch1@GATE.NET>
>Subject: Re: Nabokov/Onegin
>To: OPERA-L@LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
>
>It might interest the list that I was hired by Kalmus to translate
"Eugene
>Onegin" despite the fact that I then knew no Russian. They sent me
>translations in Italian and German to work from (clearly they had faith in
>my poetic/musical abilities, since I had already translated a number of
>operas for them, from French, German and Italian - now available from Belwin
>Mills).
>Since the German and Italian versions often proved to be exact opposites (in
>the "T'odio", "Ich liebe Dich" manner), I bought a Russian dictionary and
>some Berlitz tapes. This was excessively labor intensive, and so I sought
>aid at the library. I had the incredible good fortune of finding Vladimir
>Nabokov's four-volume translation, with its dazzling footnotes relating each
>reference in the Pushkin to events in world history, literature, music, etc.
>This was my second introduction to Nabokov (my first having been the gift of
>"Lolita" from Ingo Preminger, for reasons which we need not discuss). Even
>at that young age, I was overwhelmed. I hope I delivered a decent
>translation of the opera (opera-listers can decide for themselves).
>Oddly enough, much later, the Nabokov connection became much stronger. Last
>year I was engaged to re-translate the opera "Lolita" (Rodion Shchedrin)
>into English from Swedish and Russian, which was possibly the greatest
>challenge and pleasure I've faced in my work as translator--challenge
>because of the difficulty of reconciling the expressive, detailed music with
>the author's exact words (which, as anyone familiar with Nabokov knows, are
>probably the most precise in literature, carrying echoes and overtones which
>cannot be ignored) and pleasure because of the sheer joy and beauty of his
>imagery.
>Ariane Csonka Comstock
>"The Young Person's Guide to the Opera"
Ajahn Bennett Lerner
25/1 Chang Peuak Road
Soi 2
Chiang Mai 50200
Thailand
Tel/Fax: 66 53 418-286
Email: bennett@loxinfo.co.th