NPR World of Opera
The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Lowell Liebermann

Remember that old saying, warning us about the dangers of our own goals and aspirations? It goes something like, Be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it. Now surely, we think we know exactly what we want, and when. And Pandora was sure she just had to see what was in that box …

Romantic wishes may be the most obvious example of this. How many times have you thought you had found the perfect relationship -- or at least one as perfect as you were likely to attain? And how many times did that relationship end with anguish and bitter recriminations? Not really what you wished for, right?

OK, that may be a bad example, what with romance being inherently unrealiable. But, even our more straightforward, material wishes often don't pan out. Like the dream house that turns into an impossibly expensive, maintenance nightmare; the flashy sports car that gets abysmal milage, attracts cops like flies, and costs a zillion dollars to insure; the IPO of that cyberstock that just had to be the next Microsoft - except that Microsoft already had it's own version of the fledgling company's key product, ready and waiting to scuttle your plans for early retirement.

Then again, it's not like our literature and entertainment don't give us plenty of warning about this phenomenon. Take this week's opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray, based on Oscar Wilde's ultimate, cautionary tale. Dorian is a handsome young man coveted by many. Above all else, he wishes he could retain his youth forever, while only his painted portrait grows old. He gets his way, and seems glad for it - he has a great time, actually. And why wouldn't he? It sounds like a pretty good deal: Put the picture away in the attic to get old and ugly, while you live the good life into eternity. But of course, there are complications - misery and death not least among them.

If you know Wilde's classic, you know all about those complications. If you haven't read it -- or if you have and you've been hoping for the musical version - you can get the whole, sordid story in the American premiere production of The Picture of Dorian Gray, by American composer Lowell Liebermann. Hear it this week on WORLD OF OPERA, with host Steve Curwood, from the Florentine Opera of Milwaukee. And as always, for some lively discussion of the opera, tune in half-an-hour before curtain time for NPR's AT THE OPERA, with Lou Santacroce.

LINKS:

Florentine Opera of Milwaukee
Lowell Liebermann
NPR's At the Opera

COMING UP NEXT WEEK: An encore broadcast of The Abduction from the Seraglio by W. A. Mozart