Category: Places

Beyond NY: Opera Dimitrij at Bard SummerScape in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

arts-NY

Beyond NY: Opera Dimitrij at Bard SummerScape in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Antonin Dvorak’s Rarely Performed Masterwork 

Dvorak Opera Dimitrij at Bard SummerScape in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Scene from Dimitrij; photo by Todd Norwood

This year Bard SummerScape is dedicated to the Romanticism in music and is celebrating Chopin. Adding  Antonin Dvorak’s rarely staged operatic jewel Dimitrij  to the program makes a lot of sense as Dvorak is rightly considered to carry on Chopin’s Romantic tradition, and this complicated drama is well placed in the lineup celebrating Slavic roots and historic influences.

The opera brings back a murky history of Russian Tsars at the “time of troubles” at the beginning of 17th century. The story starts at exactly where Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov” leaves off with the death of Tsar Boris and the dark times of uncertainty approaching. The plot of Dimitrij is centered around a young pretender to the throne who appears in Moscow surrounded by Polish nobles and claims to be Dimitrij. His quest to rule is validated when the widow of Ivan, The Terrible recognizes him as her long lost son attempting to avenge her own grievances with the rulers. But the secret is bound to be revealed with all the ambitions at play. The intrigues of the power struggle, society division in pledging loyalty to competing clans, conspiracy theories and treacherous deceptions are only amplified by gorgeous music and powerful choral renditions. Sounds too familiar? It might be because a drive for power is as universal as love and death. The director of this Dimitrij production Anne Bogart thinks that the subject is particularly relevant today.

In the words of the Boston Globe “Shakespeare could hardly have bettered” this tragic story. In fact the story was developed by a librettist Marie Cervikova-Riegrova who based it on an unfinished plot by F. Schiller’s Demetrius. It is also worth noting that apparently Dvorak, working on the opera in 1881-1882, was not familiar with Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov” which was completed between 1868-1873 to A. Pushkin’s drama with the same title.

Beyond NY: Opera Dimitrij at Bard SummerScape in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
Fischer Center; Photo: Peter Aaron ’68/Esto

Bard SummerScape opera performance takes place at the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Art which is located on the campus of a picturesque Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Bard College is well known for its rigorous and diverse art education program and the best in class roster of summer performances in upstate NY. Only two hours away from hustle and bustle of New York City, the campus is sufficiently insulated for full concentration and study, yet affords a convenience of being accessible via train connection to the city.

The Richard B. Fisher Center is an architectural jewel in itself being designed by Frank Gehry and hosting a multitude of adventurous programs at the world class facilities.

Book the tickets for Dimitrij  here.

 

Venue: Richard B. Fisher Center, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Dates: July 28 & 30, August 2,4 & 6, 2017 

Places to eat around Bard College.

 

Beyond NYC: Jason Vieaux, Guitar with Julien Labro, Bandoneon and Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Caramoor at Katonah, NY

arts-NY 2 Comments

Beyond NYC: Jason Vieaux, Guitar with Julien Labro, Bandoneon and Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Caramoor at Katonah, NY

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Piazzolla on July 16, 2017

Jason Vieaux, Guitar with Julien Labro, Bandoneon and Orchestra of St. Luke's at Caramoor at Katonah, NY
Jason Vieaux, photo by Tyler Boye; image source jasonvieaux.com

With a program of chamber music heavily influenced by the genius of Vivaldi, this concert on July Sunday afternoon is promising to be a meditation on the past with classical guitar, bandoneon, violin and a chamber orchestra serenading the summer.

Jason Vieaux, a winner of 2015 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Solo, is returning to Caramoor with Julien Labro on bandoneon and Krista Benin Fenney on violin. Vieaux’s impeccable technique and musicality “makes the guitar sing” in the words of Tom Huizenga, NPR host. From the beginning of Vieaux’s engagement with the NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series when he was young-artist-in-residence, his mastery have flourished adding on a diverse sound palette of West-African rhythms, Argentinian tangos and classical preludes. On his return to the Tiny Desk Concert studio as a renown international musician seven years later, his music had transformed the studio into “a quiet, jasmine-scented garden in Andalusia” as described by Huizenga.

Jason Vieaux, Guitar with Julien Labro, Bandoneon and Orchestra of St. Luke's at Caramoor at Katonah, NY
Julien Labro photo by Anna Webber / image source julienlabro.com

Julien Labro is a well-known accordionist whose music blends folk and classical melodies into an eclectic and rich mix. In the course of his career Labro’s main influence was the music of an Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla. According to Labro’s autobiography, Piazzolla was the reason for Labro to pick up a bandoneon. Sharing this affection, Vieaux and Labro had already recorded 7 albums on the music by Piazzolla with the most recent one Infusion by Azica produced in 2016.

The combination of top quality music performance and spectacular Caramoor gardens and grounds makes it an ideal place for a summer night out. At Caramoor the visitors can enjoy architecture, history, art, horticulture and music all in one place. Arrive early to have a chance to explore them all.

Click here to book your tickets.

Venue: Caramoor Center for Music and Arts, Katonah, NY                                       Date: July 16, 4pm

Beyond NY: “Brodsky/Baryshnikov” at Apollo Theater, London, UK

arts-NY

Beyond NY: “Brodsky/Baryshnikov” at Apollo Theater, London, UK

Beyond NY: "Brodsky/Baryshnikov" at Apollo, London, UK
J.Brodsky, M.Baryshnikov / image source – londontheaterdirect.com

This 90 min one-man show, directed by Alvis Hermanis, is a delicate theatrical staging of complex poetry by Josef Brodsky. The selected poetry is moody and at times disturbing. And so is the acting by Mikhail Baryshnikov, an acclaimed dancer and actor, and a close friend of J. Brodsky. In the FT  “Poetry and Motion” article Baryshnikov refers to Brodsky as “his university”.

Baryshnikov opens his heart and soul in performing Brodsky’s in a rather subdued and melancholic setting. Hermanis’s production skillfully uses contrast between the simplicity of the stage set and the depth of the material to amplify the effect.  The verses, the graceful movements and sounds are full of inevitability of the passing time. The beauty of this performance is in its ability to tie together the convoluted world of Brodsky’s poetry with Baryshnikov’s elegant reading and acting. The show was performed in NYC at the BAC in March 2016 and reviewed in the New York Times.

 

For bookings go  here. 

 

Venue: Apollo Theater, London, UK                 Dates: May 3 – 5, 2017 

Elsewhere in NYC: Morgan Library & Museum and New York Public Library

arts-NY

Elsewhere in NYC: Morgan Library & Museum and New York Public Library

Perfect places for the art of reading

In the bustling city of New York where everyone is in a hurry, the quiet spaces are especially precious. By a perfect coincidence these two libraries are situated a few blocks apart in midtown Manhattan. Both are the celebrated havens for those who appreciate the art and the history of the written words or are making the first steps in the world of books.

Elsewhere in NYC: Morgan Library & Museum and New York Public Library
Image source magpielearner.com

John Pierpont Morgan has been called the most influential financier in U.S. history. Between 1890 and 1913, his company was instrumental in the establishment of 42 major corporations including General Electric, International Harvester, AT & T, and the Atchison Topeka Santa Fe railway. He financially backed countless projects, including Thomas Edison’s Edison Electric Illuminating Company, as […]

via A tale of two libraries — magpie learner

Its fascinating to think about the unity of  places dedicated to books. The libraries while very distinct in their characters, are wonderfully complementing each other.

While NY Public Library will rightly impress with its depth of material and expertise of people working there, Morgan Library offers a treasured  and well-researched collection of illuminated manuscripts, rare prints, music manuscripts, Renaissance paintings and Chinese porcelain. In addition to its exhibitions, Morgan Library holds music programs and lectures.  This summer there will be several concerts combining music performed by St. Luke Chamber Ensemble with the reading by a well-known literary master Adam Gopnik.

The NY Public Library is know for its premier series LIVE from NYPL. In May and June of this year the guest list includes Anselm Kiefer, a German painter and sculptor,  Alec Baldwin, an American actor, and Phillip Glass, an American composer  to name just a few. It is a true cultural kaleidoscope!

Venue: Morgan Library and Museum, 225 Madison Avenue, NY           Hours: click here

Venue: NYPL Schwarzman Building, 476 5th Avenue, NY                       Hours: click here

Beyond NYC: Daniil Trifonov, Piano at Caramoor in Katonah, NY

arts-NY

Beyond NYC: Daniil Trifonov, Piano at Caramoor in Katonah, NY

Powerful program for Summer Chamber music lineup

Beyond NYC: Daniil Trifonov, Piano at Caramoor in Katonah, NY
Daniil Trifonov / image source caramoor.org

Daniil Trifonov, 26-year-old Russian pianist, is already well known to the audiences around the world for his amazing technique and poetic sensitivity in delivering the most challenging programs. The selection of works for this year Summer concert at Caramoor is exactly in that category.

Trifonov became an international sensation in 2011 when he won the first prize in the Tchaikovsky competition.  From that time on he is a regular at major concert halls with dedicated fans eagerly anticipating his every performance. And he never disappoints. The New Yorker magazine in its review of this year performance at Carnegie Hall notes that Trifonov “creates furor”.

In the program at Caramoor, Trifonov starts with Schumann including Kreisleriana; followed by a selection of Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich and ending with  the movements from Stravinsky’s Petrushka. Expect a lot of energy and clarity in tone as these serious pieces require from a performer. Trifonov’s virtuosity and depth will delight you and make that night an affair to remember!

Click here to book tickets.

Venue: Caramoor Center for Music and Arts, Katonah, NY                                       Date: July 9, 5pm