New orchestration of Parizade and the Singing Tree to premiere at Cabrillo Festival

Maxfield Parrish, Parizade and the Singing Tree

A new orchestration of the 2001 work Parizade and the Singing Tree will be premiered at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music on August 5th, 2018, as part of the festival’s free family concert.

Nora el Samahy

Conducted by festival director, Cristian Macelaru and narrated by Nora el Samahy, the story recounts the adventures of Parizade, the daughter of the palace gardener, as she seeks out the famed “Singing Tree.”

The charming folk tale has as its source an episode from the Thousand Nights and A Night [Alf laylah wa-laylah] collection of folktales—or the so-called ‘Arabian Nights.’ Unlike Aladdin, Ali Baba or Sindbad, Parizade is unfortunately not one of the better-known figures in the Arabian Nights. Her story is often omitted in the more popular published translations of the work. It is translated, however, in Sir Richard Burton’s encyclopedic edition of the work; it appears as one of his many ‘Supplemental Nights’ (1886–1888). Parizade’s quest for the Singing Tree—in which “many princes and noblemen” before her have failed—is an exciting tale of adventure, determination and wonderment. As is common in the long, episodic tales of the collection, Parizade’s encounter with the Singing Tree is a story embedded within a larger narrative, one entitled variously by translators as “The Sisters Who Envied their Cadette,” or “The Talking Bird, the Singing Tree, and the Golden Water.” The renowned illustrator Maxfield Parrish was captivated by Parizade’s exploits, and produced one of his most colorful and enchanting paintings (shown above) for an early 20th century edition of the Nights. Join the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra for a presentation of Parizade and the Singing Tree on Sunday August 5, at 1pm at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.