Lamentation on The Disasters of War receives European Premiere with Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
- On November 12, 2018
- By alzand@rice.edu
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The string orchestra version of Lamentation on The Disasters of War received its European premiere in Amsterdam with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the direction of Cristian Macelaru on October 18th and 19th. It joined a program of works by Weill and Shostakovich. Reviews in NRC Handelsblad, Opera Magazine and HTodsunden Parool
Parizade and the Singing Tree premiere at Cabrillo
- On August 10, 2018
- By alzand@rice.edu
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Parizade and the Singing Tree premiered at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music at their annual Family Concert on August 5. Directed by Cristian Macelaru and narrated by Nora el Samahy, this new orchestral transcription of the work (originally for sextet) was commissioned by the festival. In addition, Luctus Profugis was performed as an unannounced addition to the Saturday August 4th concert, entitled “After Dixieland.” Reviews: San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Classical Voice, Performing Arts Monterey, Monterey Herald, Classical Voice North America.
New orchestration of Parizade and the Singing Tree to premiere at Cabrillo Festival
- On June 15, 2018
- By alzand@rice.edu
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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.
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.
Minnesota Orchestra presents The Prisoner
- On March 06, 2018
- By alzand@rice.edu
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The Minnesota Orchestra, under conductor Sarah Hicks, will present The Prisoner, as part of an “Inside the Classics” summer series concert entitled “Speaking Truth to Power.” The July 28, 2018 performance features bass-baritone Kevin Deas. “Inside the Classics” is hosted by Minnesota Orchestra violist Sam Bergman. The Prisoner tells the story of Adnan Latif, one of the first men imprisoned in the US Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp in 2002. Its text is drawn from Latif’s own letters, sent to his lawyer while in captivity, and from other literary sources, including poems of Rilke, Al-Ma‘arri, Rūmī and the Book of Psalms.
Concertgebouw Orchestra to perform Lamentation on The Disasters of War
- On March 06, 2018
- By alzand@rice.edu
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Lamentation on The Disasters of War will be performed by Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam during their 2018–2019 season, under conductor Cristian Măcelaru. The work, for string orchestra, is inspired by the 1820 etchings by Francisco de Goya Los desastres de la guerra. The October 19th, 2018 concert will also feature Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins and Shostakovich’s Suite from “The Nose”.