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'u' — the First Authentic Klingon Opera On Earth

Posted by samzenpus on from the only-a-filthy-targ-would-miss-it dept.

j0ris writes "The Klingon are passionate opera-lovers, but little is known about their highly evolved form of musical expression. Floris Schonfeld is the initiator and director of 'u', the first authentic Klingon opera on earth. He studied Klingon music theory for over a year, and together with several experts developed various indigenous Klingon instruments. The Terran Klingon Research Ensemble has been set up to further develop a coherent Klingon musical practice amongst human musicians. 'u' premieres on September 9 in The Hague, Netherlands. An invitation by Klingon language expert Marc Okrand has been sent to Kronos, home planet of the Klingons, via radio telescope."

6 of 165 comments (clear)

  1. Wow by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Get.A.Life.Seriously.

    1. Re:Wow by ElectricTurtle · · Score: 4, Interesting

      As a Trekkie* myself, and one who frequently defends other Trekkies when they are needlessly persecuted, I have to say I agree with the AC. This level of theater (I really, really hope it's just theater) reaches a pure creepiness. Roddenberry was a very talented, imaginative, and even insightful person, but he was not a prophet divinely revealing truths about the universe. There are no Klingons orbiting Arcturus. That was just a fiction. F-I-C-T-I-O-N. It doesn't matter how good that fiction is, to treat it like it is real is retarded. Klingon is an invented language, a clever one indeed actually designed to buck as many linguistic norms as possible, but to think that some language that was invented for a TV show is actually spoken by extraterrestrial life forms is irredeemably stupid, even as an act.

      Star Trek is awesome. I have a bookcase, not a book shelf, a bookcase full of nothing but Star Trek novels, analysis, and reference books. That doesn't make it real, and treating it like it is real is the height of idiocy. These people are twits.

      *(Yes, that's Trekkie, not Trekker. Anybody who thinks they are exposing me or correcting me somehow can go fuck themselves. Trekker was coined by a bunch of whiny butt hurt people whose self-esteem was crushed by William Shatner on SNL because they had no sense of humor and couldn't laugh at themselves.)

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      I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
    2. Re:Wow by ElectricTurtle · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Did I once criticize the opera? No. I criticized some douchebag acting like going to a radio telescope to send a "Klingon" message to Arcturus meant something. If it weren't an act, it would be literally insane. Even as an act it was stupid. It was thematically incongruent, unsourced, poorly executed, awkward, etc. It was a bad act at a minimum and I criticized that. I don't care one whit about marketing or who makes what money off of what. As a fan of Star Trek I was beyond underwhelmed by this poorly executed stunt which failed to capture any of the spirit of the universe or fit into its canon.

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      I support the Slashcott and will not be reading or commenting from 2/10/14 to 2/17/14. Beta is steaming pile of dog shit
    3. Re:Wow by natehoy · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Bet it'll put some paid asses in seats, though. The folks who go to this opera aren't going to get all het up about a funny publicity stunt. Personally, I think it's a hilarious touch, and if you want to compare dick sizes my Trek reference materials and books take up way more than a bookshelf.

      PS: "some douchebag"'s name is Marc Okrand. If your shelf of reference materials is filed alphabetically, you might want to look up that name sometime. I think he's earned the right to cash in on a little of the mythos he was instrumental in inventing.

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      "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
  2. “I don't mind what language an opera is sung by RevWaldo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    “I don't mind what language an opera is sung in, so long as it is a language I don't understand.” - Sir Edward Appleton, noted physicist.

    .

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    Prisencolinensinainciusol. Ol Rait!
  3. Dear Slashdotters, Thank you for your comments by Floris+Schnfeld · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Dear Slashdotters, Thank you for your comments and your interest in our endeavors. My name is Floris Schönfeld and I am the initiator of the project 'u' (a.k.a the douchebag in the video.) I would like to stress that the submitted video is a documentary a.i. everything you see in the video really happened. We realize that the chances of receiving some genuine Klingon guests is slim, but as I said in the video we hope to see them at the premiere. To ensure the authenticity of our attempt at reaching the home planet we worked with Star Trek science advisors Andre Bormanis and Michael Okuda. For more information on the attempted contacting and the rest of the project please see http://www.u-theopera.org/ If you have any other questions concerning the opera please let me know. Best regards, Floris Schönfeld