Being a bit later this year, Easter falls in the middle of our exam period. So, while there are no exams on Good Friday or Easter Sunday, both Holy Saturday and Eater Monday will have a full slate of exams. My last class wrote today and I now have 65 exams sitting in the corner calling my name. My next two days will be devoted almost exclusively to marking these exams.
At this time of year, I often think of one of my first Lloyd-Webber musicals both heard and seen -- Jesus Christ Superstar. The music, lyrics and the imagery of the stage play and the movie have fascinated me. It is intriguing how modern images put some of the story into perspective -- the power brokers, the crass commercialism, the fandom, and the media communicating various messages. Perhaps that is why I've ended up where I have -- studying the impact of mass mediated messages on public opinion and policy makers' views. The agendas in play have been there forever -- the media agenda (to sell air time, space, or readers & viewers), the policy agenda (to do what absolutely needs to be done without doing too much and without interfering with the main area each power broker feels is most important) and the public agenda (to get as much as they can for the minimal input of effort and tax dollars). These agendas intersect, often moving together when the cause fits all interests. I'm not trying to be cynical here, just blunt <smile>. Human beings can tend to be somewhat selfish as a group. Smaller groups or individuals do move things in positive ways, but without the support of the public and the media, they won't get the support of policy makers. So -- we all have to play the game. In Lloyd-Webber's Evita, this was embodied in the song, 'Practising the Art of the Possible"
However, back to that first rock musical -- I (and many others) know the full libretto to this day. When the music plays, the words are right there. So, when you hear today's selection, I suspect many of you will hear the words in your head or perhaps sing them out loud. Enjoy!
Jesus Christ Superstar -- Overture -- from the 1973 movie, music by Andrew Lloyd-Webber.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgEf4DCHrTM
No comments:
Post a Comment