Opening August 9, Bard Music Festival explores the life and times of the ultimate French Romantic composer in “Berlioz and His World”

On Friday August 9ththe Bard Music Festival returns with an intensive two-week exploration of “Berlioz and his worldIn eleven thematic concert programs, the 34th season of the festival explores Hector Berliozthe visionary French composer who helped redefine musical Romanticism, first by contextualizing it in an era of Revolutionary spectacle and romantic passion (Weekend one: August 9–11), and subsequently its crucial role in uniting Music and the Literary Imagination (Weekend two: August 15–18). Except for program six, presented in nearby Rhinebeck, all concerts will take place in the beautiful Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and other locations on Bard College’s idyllic Hudson River campus. Six programs will also live streaming for home audiences worldwide Upstreamthe Fisher Center’s virtual stage, and chartered bus transportation from New York City will be available for the final performance (see details below). A centerpiece of the 21st Bard SummerScape festival, the Bard Music Festival is once again planning to prove itself “the most stimulating music festival of the summer“(Los Angeles Time).

“One of the most remarkable figures in the world of art and culture” (NYC artTHIRTEEN/WNET), festival founder and co-artistic director Leon Botstein is music director of both the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO number) and Bard’s unique graduate training orchestra, The Orchestra Now (TŌN). In a concert with commentary by Botstein himself, he and TŌN open the festival with a combination of Berlioz’s most famous work – the revolutionary, semi-autobiographical Imaginative symphony – with its rarely programmed sequel – Lelio, or The Return to Life – for which they are joined by a British-American tenor Joshua Bluebass-baritone Alfred Walkerand the Bard Festival Coral (Program 1). Botstein, TŌN and the choir will also provide livestream reports of Berlioz’s choral arrangement of the Te Deum hymn and fragments from his grand opera The Troyenswith vocal soloists Megan Moore And Blue (Programme 3). With the ASO, Botstein conducts two substantive romantic rarities, both of which are due for restoration in the canon: Louise Farrenc‘s masterful Third Symphony and Joseph Joachim Raff’s programmatic Tenth, “In the Fall” (Programme 9). To close the festival, Botstein and the ASO join forces with the Bard Festival Chorale for The Damnation of FaustBerlioz’s epic setting of Goethe’s tragedy, starring Blue like Faust, walker as Mephistopheles, Stefan Egerström as a student Brander and two-time Grammy winner Sasha Kok as Marguerite (Programme 11). All four orchestral concerts will be streamed live.

As in previous seasons, the festival will again present a wide range of vocal and chamber music. The Last Wizard – a little-known chamber opera in two acts by Berlioz’s colorful contemporary Pauline Viardot – will be heard in her original salon arrangement for voices and piano, in a semi-staged, live-streamed production by Sharyn Pirtle (Program 5). Soprano Jana McIntyremezzo-soprano Rebecca Ringle Kamareitenor Maximilian Jansenand baritone Tyler Duncan discover the rich variety of songs heard in the Parisian salon, in a concert with commentary by a musicologist Byron Adams (Program 4). Ringle Kamarei And Duncan join later tenor Noah Stewart for Berlioz’s The nights of summera gem from the art song repertoire, which they will perform in its first performance, with each song sung by a different singer with piano accompaniment (Programme 8).

Tokyo International Viola Competition laureate Luosha fang provides a full, live-streamed account of Berlioz’s Harold in Italyin Franz Liszt’s arrangement for piano accompaniment (Program 7). The Cleveland Quartet Award-winning Balourdet Quartet performs the underrated String Quartet in C minor by Berlioz’s Czech-born teacher, Anton Rijke (Program 2) and joins Canine for the posthumously published Second String Quintet by Felix Mendelssohn (Program 8). Among other highlights of the room, Noël Wanthe first Taiwanese harpist to win first prize at the USA International Harp Competition, plays the Introduction and Variations on Themes from Bellini’s “Norma” Through Elias Parish Alvarswho Berlioz regarded as “the Liszt of the harp” (Programme 2); festival favourite Anna Polonsky interprets piano music by Clara Schumann (Program 5); and the New Hudson Saxophone Quartet plays Berlioz’s Sacred songin a reconstruction of the lost version for instruments developed by Adolphe Sax, on a program that also includes the Six Bagatelles by Hungarian modernist György Ligetiand a performance by Edgard Varèse‘S Density 21.5 by flutist Alex Sopp (Program 10). “One of New York’s finest organists” (New York Times), Renée Anne Louprette plays of Alfred Lefébure-Wély, Camille Saint-SaënsAnd Olivier Messiaen on the recently renovated organ at the Episcopal Church of the Messiah in nearby Rhinebeck (Program 6).

Additional events and accompanying book

In addition to the eleven concert programs, there are two free panel discussions: “A revolutionary life in a revolutionary era” And “Musical romance and literature.” These will be supplemented by informative lectures prior to the concert, all free for ticket holders, by scientists Peter Bloei, Francesca Brittan, Christopher H. Gibbs, Dana Gooley, Sarah Hibberd, Jonathan Kregor, Hilary PorissAnd Richard Wilson. SummerScape and ASO also present the first U.S. production in 47 years The Propheta French grand opera by Berlioz’s contemporary Giacomo Meyerbeer (26 July–4 August). Edited by Bard’s 2024 Scholars-in-Residence – Case Western Reserve University’s Francesca Brittanwhose publications include: Music and Fantasy in the Age of Berliozand the University of Bristol Sarah Hibberdauthor of The French Grand Opera and the Historical Imagination – the accompanying book Berlioz and his world is issued by the University of Chicago Press.

Roundtrip bus transportation from New York City

Chartered bus transportation from New York City is available for the festival finale, Program Eleven (August 18). It can be ordered online or by calling the box office at 845-758-7900, and the meeting point for pickup and drop-off is at Lincoln Center on Amsterdam Avenue, between 64th and 65th Streets. More information is available here.

SummerScape Tickets

Tickets for mainstage events are available from $25 and live streams are $20. Panel discussions are free and open to the public. For complete information on tickets, series discounts and more, visit fishercenter.bard.edu or call Bard’s box office at (845) 758-7900.

Post date: 07-30-2024