Saturday, September 24, 2011

Atys (Lully)

To my mind, there is no musical ensemble responsible for more exquisite productions than William Christie's Les Arts Florissants. The ensemble has a head start by dedicating itself to Baroque music, but it maintains that lead by attending to every detail so that the whole is as close to perfect as possible.
This year, LAF and Opera Comique restaged their 1987 production of Lully's Atys.
The court of King Louis XIV birthed French opera in the middle of the 17th century, and the man most responsible for its development was Jean-Baptiste Lully, a musician and dancer from a working-class Florentine family. Under the king's oversight, Lully developed tragedies en musique incorporating highly stylized dance and costumes into the opera. Atys is one of his earliest productions, its subject matter chosen by the king.
The story of Atys comes from Ovid, as retold by Philippe Quinault.
Highly recommend.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Three Sisters (Anton Chekhov; new version, Sarah Ruhl)

Devastating production of a heart-wretching work.

Recommend

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Peace, Love, and Light (New Haven Symphony)

Michael Brown's piano performance of the Beethoven was exquisite. I've never heard someone play with such command of the incidentals.
Rossini, Overture to The Barber of Seville
Beethoven, Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor, op. 37
Theofanidis, Peace Love Light YOUMEONE
Mendelssohn, Symphony no. 4 in A Major, op. 90, "Italian"

Recommend...and keep an eye out for Michael Brown

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