CLASSICAL MUSIC / Upbeat: Coda

Sax in the White House and sex at the New York City Opera. Marilyn, an opera on the life and death of Marilyn Monroe, has been commissioned from Ezra Laderman, Dean of Music at Yale, for the NYCO's 50th anniversary. If that sounds a touch academic, rest assured that the libretto comes from a hot source - Norman Rosten, a friend of the blonde bombshell. But will the opera deal head-on with Monroe's relationships with Clinton's hero JFK and brother Bobby? 'Put it this way,' said a cautious NYCO spokesperson, 'there's a part for 'The President' and 'The Senator'. And also 'The Psychologist'.'