For those of you who are soundtrack audiophiles, you're in for a treat. I recently had the pleasure of sharing a few moments with none other than master composer Roger Bellon. Best known for composing the score for The Highlander television series, Roger's (pronounced Ro-jhay) numerous credits include such feature films; The Unholy, Dark Horse and an all new score for the re-release of Rudolph Valentino's 1921 silent classic, The Sheik. In addition to The Highlander, Roger's many television credits include The New Adventures Of Robin Hood, The Last Don and The Last Don II, and 1989's Frankenstein which garnered him an Emmy nomination. To say that one could spend hours talking music with this gentleman would certainly be an understatement. Alas, the purpose of this much too petite tête-à-tête was to discuss his latest masterpiece, Highlander: A Celtic Opera developed with partner Harlan Collins. In Highlander: A Celtic Opera, the legend of Duncan MacLeod, his ultimate immortality and timeless love for the beautiful Aurora is brilliantly presented in a musical operatic format. All the characters are there: the Clan MacLeod, the menacing Fritagern, the eccentric geneticist Dr. Rodia, Duncan's mother Mirrdhen and, of course, the magical Witch of Skye, all recreated through strong vocal performances and portrayed with talented enthusiasm. For those intimidated by or uneducated about opera, fear not. Consider this the perfect introduction, complete with the full libretto to follow and read along while listening. Indeed a noble undertaking, I asked Roger to fill us in on its creation. Ellen Ratner (ER): Yourself, the consummate Frenchman, having been born and raised in Paris, one would wonder how your appreciation of Celtic music and history developed. Roger Bellon (RB): I've always been a fan of all things Celtic. The Celts were also in Gaul, after all. It's in my blood. Growing up I would always listen to Alain Stival, a famous French Celtic/Pop musician from the Brittany region of France. I found his Celtic harp playing magical, as well as, elegant and haunting. The mysterious sounds of Celtic modal music are always floating around my brain. My partner and co-composer of the opera, Harlan Collins, is of Celtic ancestry and has likewise, a vast history with Celtic music, art and mythology. ER: In your latest work, the concept of combining the traditional elements of Celtic music and opera is certainly innovative. What inspired you to create such a tour de force? RB: Harlan pestered me for over a year until I relented. After six years of composing music for The Highlander television series, I needed a break from that world. Harlan enlightened me to the vast mythological opportunity inherent in The Highlander. Once he and I found our story and characters, there was no turning back. The Opera flowed quite naturally from our pens to the page... ER: Throughout your life in Paris, were you a regular at L'Opera de Paris? (Paris Opera House for all you non-French types) RB: As neither of my parents were musical, I didn't discover opera until my early teens when I became a bit more independent. I have always been a big fan of Wagner and once exposed to his operas, I was hooked. I would go to the Opera Garnier (the Old Opera House) as often as I could afford. Now I am taking my eight year old son to the Opera de la Bastille, which is the so-called modern one. I prefer the older building as it has a fantastic dome fresque painted by Marc Chagall. You can gaze upon it while listening to your favorite music. ER: It is my understanding that talks are in the works for a full stage production. Can you tell us more about that? RB: We are, in fact, pursuing the mounting of a live stage production. Our efforts are centered on Las Vegas, which we feel would be a perfect location. Las Vegas is the current capitol of stage spectacle and with shows like 'O' and 'Notre Dame de Paris' appealing to thousands of people, we feel Highlander: A Celtic Opera would fit right in. ER: I can visualize Adrian Paul now (thank you very much) on the stage as Duncan. There actually is no real possibility of that now, is there....? RB: No, sorry. ER: Who is Harlan Collins and how did you decide to collaborate with him on the Opera? RB: Harlan is actually among the first people I met when I moved to Los Angeles from Paris. I have always loved his music and found him to be a wonderfully talented songwriter, composer and lyricist. We have actually worked together on other musical projects; none the scope of this, however. His grasp of Celtic mythology is deep, which helped move this endeavor along quickly. For years we've been looking for a project that inspired us enough to drop everything and dive into headfirst. It is usually quite difficult to collaborate with another composer, but in this case it was not only easy and fluid, but fun. ER: Can you tell us more about the Opera's website, www.highlanderopera.com? RB: We wanted fans of The Highlander, and opera in general, to be able to hear some of the music. We decided to put up some streaming MP3 clips of the score. You can also learn about the story, the characters, the production and a little about Harlan and myself. We also have merchandise for sale including a Highlander: A Celtic Opera T-shirt for those die-hard opera lovers like ourselves. I think we're going to have a lot of fun with our website. We'll be running special contests, as well as, giving fans snippets of our upcoming musical projects. ER: Well Roger, we all raise a glass (or tankard) to commend you on Highlander: A Celtic Opera, toast bonne chance to the success of your project and look forward to its premiere. After thanking Roger for his time it was time for me to return to the mundane world of business. Luckily for all of us, one needs simply to pop in the CD and allow yourself to slip away into a musical Celtic fantasy land. In Highlander: A Celtic Opera, Bellon magnificently expresses his deeply rooted appreciation of the Celtic sound and tradition and pays tribute by presenting yet another magical moment to The Highlander legend. * About the author... Many of you know Ellen as that piratical, swashbuckling French import Mademoiselle Suzette Bergere of The Brigands. Beware of Suzette robbing pockets and stealing hearts at a faire near you.... For more information, go to www.highlanderopera.com or contact Ellen at BMI* Media Relations West Coast (310)289-6346. Ellen S. Ratner Executive Assistant, BMI Media Relations 310.289.6346/eratner@bmi.com