My fourth immersion in this glorious fusion of music and dance, and once again, I see and hear what I've missed before.
Highly Recommended
Showing posts with label Lincoln Center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lincoln Center. Show all posts
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
South Pacific, Rodgers and Hammerstein
Fantastic production. Loved Kelli O'Hara's performance.
Recommend.
Recommend.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Die Zauberflote (Mozart)
Julie Taymor production with Joseph Kaiser (Tamino), Diana Damrau (Pamina), and Anna-Kristiina Kaappola (Queen of the Night).
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Divinas Palabras (Ramon del Valle-Inclan)
Centro Dramatico National production
Quarrel that develops between family members for a hydrocephalic dwarf good for begging.
Quarrel that develops between family members for a hydrocephalic dwarf good for begging.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Into the Little Hill (George Bejamin & Martin Crimp)
A lyric tale for two voices and ensemble (2006), preceded by Viola, Viola for two violas (1997) and Three Minatures for solo violin (2002).
Interesting music performed by excellent musicians.
This jewel of a narrative is based on the traditional tale of the Pied Piper, who brings music (to a town concerned about a rat infestation) with promises that he will rid the town of their problem. When the strange stranger is denied financial compensation for completing the task, he lures the children away.
Now there are many ways to consider this as an allegory, particularly appealing is the relationship between arts and politics in twenty-first century USA. Politicians want the arts to shape students to concervative values; however, because the arts are actually starved in our schools, the younger generation is denied an intellectually grounded education in the arts, and it turns to a more seductive, maybe even baser but certainly more rebelious form of the arts. Musically, not such a simple allegory: very spare. In works more vertically dense (but not overly so), the ear can hear/apprehend a lucious texture. In works more horizontally dense, that is more melodic, the ear can hear the melody. This work seemed spare in both ways, requiring an ear both better trained than the average ear and a mind curious enough to listen attendtively and repeatedly.
Highly recommend.
Interesting music performed by excellent musicians.
This jewel of a narrative is based on the traditional tale of the Pied Piper, who brings music (to a town concerned about a rat infestation) with promises that he will rid the town of their problem. When the strange stranger is denied financial compensation for completing the task, he lures the children away.
Now there are many ways to consider this as an allegory, particularly appealing is the relationship between arts and politics in twenty-first century USA. Politicians want the arts to shape students to concervative values; however, because the arts are actually starved in our schools, the younger generation is denied an intellectually grounded education in the arts, and it turns to a more seductive, maybe even baser but certainly more rebelious form of the arts. Musically, not such a simple allegory: very spare. In works more vertically dense (but not overly so), the ear can hear/apprehend a lucious texture. In works more horizontally dense, that is more melodic, the ear can hear the melody. This work seemed spare in both ways, requiring an ear both better trained than the average ear and a mind curious enough to listen attendtively and repeatedly.
Highly recommend.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Hokaibo (Heisei Nakamura-za)
This performance featured one of only two comic Kabuki and starred Nakamura Kanzaburo XVIII in the lead role. Wonderful and colorful sets and costumes were the backdrop to a drama that depended on physical humor and sexual double-entendres (that weren't always apparent in the English synopsis broadcast through the headsets). The morality of the play was rather dubious, and the rogue character ends up murdered (though he comes back to haunt his somewhat innocent nemesis).
The narrative occupied the first two acts performed before the intermission. After the intermission, the performance accorded more closely with my conceptions of kabuki: traditional Japanese music and dance.
Though predominantly performed in Japanese, the Kanzaburo frequently dropped into English, speaking directly to the audience. This gracious gesture, however, was not necessary for the large number Japanese speakers in the audience, who obviously were able to understand the jokes not apparent via the English synopsis.
The narrative occupied the first two acts performed before the intermission. After the intermission, the performance accorded more closely with my conceptions of kabuki: traditional Japanese music and dance.
Though predominantly performed in Japanese, the Kanzaburo frequently dropped into English, speaking directly to the audience. This gracious gesture, however, was not necessary for the large number Japanese speakers in the audience, who obviously were able to understand the jokes not apparent via the English synopsis.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Book of Longing
Musical setting by Philip Glass based on Poetry and Images of Leonard Cohen
Book of Longing
1. "Prologue--I Can't Make the Hills" LC voice over with music
2. "I Came Down from the Mountain" Images added. Male vocal
3. "A Sip of WIne" Female vocal solo plus 3 for 'chorus'
Interlude: solo cello
4. "Want to Fly" female vocal solo
5. "The Light Came Through the Window"
6. "Puppet Time" faster tempo, more energy, all 4 vocals, images of LC in Nazi/German uniforms
7. "G-D Opened My Eyes" female images
8. "You Go Your Way" LC Voice over with no music
9. "I Was Doing Something"
10. "Not a Jew" LC voice over with no music
Interlude: oboe solo with image that says 'Life is a drug that stopped working'
11. "How Much I Love You" male/tenor solo
12. "Babylon" [See notes for more]
Interlude: Violin solo [instrumental solos include some of the Glass trademarks but also feel like traditional/Romantic lyrical lines; moments of bravura and cres...]
13. "I Enjoyed the Laughter" LC voice over with no music
14. "The Morning I Woke Up Again" images with WOW-red background. [Note: female images all nude: adored yet objectified]
[Many images include the traditional red stamp of Chinese arat but LC uses a star of David instead]
15. "I Want to Love You Now"
[Often unclear who LC's "you" is, even when he tries to distinguish between "You" and "you" in previous song: woman, women, God, spirit, world, listener.
16. "Don't Have the Proof" LC Voice Over in silence
Interlude: Saxophone solo
17. "The Night of Santiago" [cello has turned back around]
18. "Mother Mother" image of woman was face only
19. "You Came to Me This Morning" Highly choreographed with movement of singers and some musicians, including Phillip Glass; singers sit in chair and stand: part of choreography. included a short violin "cascade"; lush harmonies; simple vocal lines
Interlude: Bass solo with glass in swivel chair facing the attractive young female bassist dressed in red dress, with breasts embracing the bass; high register; loveliest bass line I've ever heard; musician leaning over the instrument in order to paly high notes; highly sensual image;
20. "I Am Not Able" LC voice over with "My heavenly seat" visual image that looks like the chair that Glass was sitting in in #19.
21."Roshi's Very TIred"
22. "Epilogue--Merely a Prayer" images: series of self-images. Beautiful closing.
Book of Longing
1. "Prologue--I Can't Make the Hills" LC voice over with music
2. "I Came Down from the Mountain" Images added. Male vocal
3. "A Sip of WIne" Female vocal solo plus 3 for 'chorus'
Interlude: solo cello
4. "Want to Fly" female vocal solo
5. "The Light Came Through the Window"
6. "Puppet Time" faster tempo, more energy, all 4 vocals, images of LC in Nazi/German uniforms
7. "G-D Opened My Eyes" female images
8. "You Go Your Way" LC Voice over with no music
9. "I Was Doing Something"
10. "Not a Jew" LC voice over with no music
Interlude: oboe solo with image that says 'Life is a drug that stopped working'
11. "How Much I Love You" male/tenor solo
12. "Babylon" [See notes for more]
Interlude: Violin solo [instrumental solos include some of the Glass trademarks but also feel like traditional/Romantic lyrical lines; moments of bravura and cres...]
13. "I Enjoyed the Laughter" LC voice over with no music
14. "The Morning I Woke Up Again" images with WOW-red background. [Note: female images all nude: adored yet objectified]
[Many images include the traditional red stamp of Chinese arat but LC uses a star of David instead]
15. "I Want to Love You Now"
[Often unclear who LC's "you" is, even when he tries to distinguish between "You" and "you" in previous song: woman, women, God, spirit, world, listener.
16. "Don't Have the Proof" LC Voice Over in silence
Interlude: Saxophone solo
17. "The Night of Santiago" [cello has turned back around]
18. "Mother Mother" image of woman was face only
19. "You Came to Me This Morning" Highly choreographed with movement of singers and some musicians, including Phillip Glass; singers sit in chair and stand: part of choreography. included a short violin "cascade"; lush harmonies; simple vocal lines
Interlude: Bass solo with glass in swivel chair facing the attractive young female bassist dressed in red dress, with breasts embracing the bass; high register; loveliest bass line I've ever heard; musician leaning over the instrument in order to paly high notes; highly sensual image;
20. "I Am Not Able" LC voice over with "My heavenly seat" visual image that looks like the chair that Glass was sitting in in #19.
21."Roshi's Very TIred"
22. "Epilogue--Merely a Prayer" images: series of self-images. Beautiful closing.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Fables de La Fontaine
An adaptation of La Fontaine's Fables by Comedie-Francaise.
Visually interesting but difficult to follow because the supertitles were so out of line with the audience's sight line.
Recommend with Caveats.
Visually interesting but difficult to follow because the supertitles were so out of line with the audience's sight line.
Recommend with Caveats.
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