Saturday 20 December 2008

Waiting for the End of Time: review

December 20, 2008

Messiaen and Beckett: CONCERT:NOVA Contrasts Hope and Despair

Mary Ellyn Hutton


http://www.musicincincinnati.com/site/reviews/Messiaen_and_Beckett_CONCERT_NOVA_Contrasts_Hope_and_Despair.html

BloodgoodGodot.png

Julianna Bloodgood as (L to R) Vladimir and Estragon in "Waiting for Godot"


“Waiting for the End of Time,” CONCERT:NOVA’s December 19 program at Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati, was an exquisite event. Rarely have so many things come together to form a satisfying whole, in this case music, drama and visual art presented in an environment singularly appropriate to it.

In addition, it marked, to my knowledge, the only observation of the centennial of French composer Olivier Messiaen to take place in Cincinnati this year.

Born 100 years ago December 10, Messiaen wrote his famous “Quartet for the End of Time” while interned in a German prisoner of war camp during World War II. It was premiered at Stalag VIII-A in Görlitz, Germany (now Poland) for an audience of fellow prisoners and guards in January, 1941. Informed by the composer’s deep religious faith, it takes the side of hope in a dismal, hope-less world.

CONCERT:NOVA members Ixi Chen (clarinet), Tatiana Berman (violin), Theodore Nelson (cello) and Julie Spangler (piano) performed Messiaen's Quartet along with spoken excerpts from Irish writer/playwright Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot” delivered with presence and conviction by Cincinnati actress Julianna Bloodgood. Beckett’s 20th-century classic takes a despairing view of the world, i.e. there is really nothing to hope for.

The powerful visual element was created by photographer/visual artist Trinidad Mac-Auliffe who compiled images of Bloodgood as each of the four main characters in the play to be projected simultaneously with the music. The black-and-white photos (taken during a 12-hour photo shoot, said Bloodgood) presented the actress in various combinations of clothing, facial hair and headgear.

Written in 1948-49 (originally in French), “Waiting for Godot” is a two-act play about two friends (Vladimir and Estragon) waiting beside a tree for someone named Godot. They do not actually know Godot, but they have been told to meet him and somehow feel that it is important. They wait for two acts, during which a pair named Pozzo and Lucky (master and slave) drop by. At the end of both acts, a mysterious Boy tells them Godot has been delayed but will come the next day. They pass the time aimlessly with chat and mundane matters, even contemplating suicide as a release from boredom.

By contrast, Messiaen’s Quartet was suggested by passages from chapter 10 of the Book of Revelation where an angel proclaims “that there should be time no longer” and that “the mystery of God should be finished.” The eight movements are correlated to the biblical text. Four are for the full quartet, one for solo clarinet, one each for cello and piano and violin and piano, one for a trio of violin, cello and clarinet. The whole lasts about 48 minutes. Bloodgood and members of C:N dressed in tones of cream and white. The spacious interior of the church, with its warm-wood fittings, stained glass windows, massive cross hanging over the nave, seasonal evergreens and poinsettias, was a thoroughly fitting and gracious venue for the concert.

The opening “Liturgy of Crystal” contrasted the pre-dawn awakening of birds (clarinet and violin against a shimmering background) with images of Estragon trying to remove his boots (“Together again,” comments Vladimir). Vladimir peered into his hat (his thoughts) and Estragon fell asleep during “Vocalise for the Angel who announces the End of Time,” where the quartet gave powerful imagery to the biblical vision of the seventh angel who “set his right foot upon the sea and his left foot on the earth.”

Clarinetist Ixi Chen created incredible sonorities in “Abyss of the Birds,” a moving, eight-minute meditation on (according to Messiaen’s notes for the work) “the sadness” and “weariness” of Time. A feat for the clarinetist, it calls for extremes of pitch and dynamics. Meanwhile on the video screen, Pozzo and Lucky appeared, Pozzo ate chicken and philosophized with Vladimir.

Cellist Nelson soared in “Praise to the Eternity of Jesus,” one of two movements exalting the attributes of Christ. Meanwhile, Bloodgood gave voice to a trivial spat between the waiting pair, who make up and conclude “What do we do now that we are happy? Wait for Godot.” The tree (a symbol of the Cross?) has sprouted leaves in act II of the play, from which Bloodgood interpolated further abstracts to “Dance of Fury, for the Seven Trumpets,” a rhythmically complex and strenuous movement where the quartet emulated apocalyptic sounds.

In the penultimate “Tangle of rainbows, for the Angel who announces the end of time,” music from the second movement recurred, as did Pozzo and Lucky on the video screen. Pozzo is now blind, subservient to Lucky and in need of help. Vladimir wrestles with aiding him but concludes “What are we doing here . . . waiting for Godot.” The C:N musicians crafted vivid colors and effects here, from the rich, emotive sound of the instruments in unison to steely arpeggios by violinist Berman and passionate trills by all (as Pozzo and Lucky exited).

It was Berman’s moment in the final movement, “Praise to the Immortality of Jesus,” and she rose to it splendidly. The music paints the soul’s ascent to heaven (compare the composer’s “L’Ascension”), an eight-minute exercise that finishes in stratospheric heights on the violin. Berman has the ability to play with the deepest intensity while avoiding any hint of shrillness or diminishing the beauty of her sound, which blended with the beauty of the cathedral itself.

Bloodgood drew the musicians into the play after the music ended by giving them Vladimir and Estragon’s final words after being told that Godot is again not coming, but will come the day after: Vladimir: “Shall we go?” Estragon: “Yes, let’s go,” followed by lights out and no movement at all.

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CONCERT:NOVA L to R: Owen Lee, Tatiana Berman, Patrick Schleker, Mauricio Aguiar, Heidi Yenney, Cristian Ganicenco, Christine Coletta, Randolph Bowman, Ixi Chen, Elizabeth Freimuth, Eric Bates

CONCERT:NOVA is a chamber group drawn mostly from the Cincinnati Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. Now in its second season, C:N continues its series of collaborative, multi-media events with “Concert in the Dark” February 2 at the Contemporary Arts Center, a concert that C:N says will “challenge the listener’s experience with live performance by turning off the lights completely.” “Demystifying Arnold Schoenberg” follows in March, “Beyond Ballet, a program of “music in motion” in May (John Adams, Arvo Pärt, Samuel Barber) and “Mirror in the Mirror” in June, featuring live interactive video and works by J.S. Bach, Ollie Mustonen, Michael Fiday and others.

For information, visit http://www.concertnova.com/

Friday 19 December 2008



Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Onstage: concert:nova
By Matt Morris

Concert:nova best describes its cross-disciplinary mash-ups of music, theatre and art as “conversations.” For the upcoming Friday night performance, bits of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot will be performed by Julianna Bloodgood against video work by Trinidad Mac-Auliffe and a revival of Oliver Messaien’s chamber piece Quartet for the End of Time. These works, when at play with one another, contrast situations of finding meaning, especially in adverse circumstances (Messaien created his music while a prisoner during WWII). But, in places, that meaning will no doubt be contradicted by the strains of Absurdism that run through Beckett's work. Best of all, c:n will be performing this work in Christ Church Cathedral (318 E. Fourth St. Downtown), a poignant setting for exploring such issues, including the wait for “Godot” himself. 8 p.m. performance with a 9:30 p.m. reception. $20; $10 students and ETA members.

Monday 1 December 2008

Waiting for the End of Time

December 1, 2008



CONCERT:NOVA takes the stage with the moving and provocative world premiere conversation, Waiting for the End of Time. With a video piece by visual artist Trinidad MacAuliffe, C:N will perform Oliver Messaien's poignant chamber work, Quartet for the End of Time, set against abstracts from Samuel Beckett's classicWaiting for Godot, performed by Julianna Bloodgood. This enthralling juxtaposition creates a conversation between two master artists and allows the audience to peek into their lives, ideas and motivations.
The themes of hope, despair, faith and timelessness collide with the political and cultural history of the 20th century in this poignant and deeply collaborative work. Creating a forum for the conversation between two great ideologies, C:N starts with Messaien's pivotal Quartet for the End of Time, composed while a prisoner in a World War Two concentration camp. Messiaen's encounters with a cellist, a clarinetist and violinist and the musicians' evolving friendship inspire an extraordinary work attesting to the eternal freedom of spirit over the temporal captivity of the body. Using abstracts from Beckett's great work Waiting for Godot, the quest for hope and understanding is framed by stunning visuals, music, movement and text.
Featuring visual artist Trinidad Mac-Auliffe and actor Julianna Bloodgood.
C:N musicians: Tatiana Berman (Violin), Ixi Chen (Clarinet), Ted Nelson (Cello) and Julie Spangler (Piano).
Coinciding with the centenary of Messiaen's birth in December 1908, this is a touching and heartfelt message in tune with the spirit of the holiday season.
Preview Performance:
Date/Time: Monday, December 15, 2008
Time: 7 pm performance, 8:30 pm reception
Suggested Admission: $20 at the door/$10 students and ETA members
Venue: CONCERT:NOVA Garden The C:N Garden is located at 532 Reading Road, Cincinnati, OH 45202 in the Metaphor Studios Building. Street parking and parking lots available adjacent to the space. Light beverages and bites available at the reception.

Performance:Date/Time: Friday, December 19, 2008
Time: 8 pm performance, 9:30 pm reception
Admission: $20 at the door/$10 students and ETA members
Venue: Christ Church Cathedral
The Christ Church Cathedral is located at 318 E. Fourth Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202, on the corner of 4th and Sycamore downtown. Parking is available in the 303 Building on the corner of 3rd and Broadway.
______________________________
Founded in 2007 and entering its second season, concert:nova represents a new dynamic force in Cincinnati's musical experience, and is pleased to announce our new project space, the CONCERT:NOVA Garden, sponsored by Urban Sites. Comprised of a diverse core ensemble featuring Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra musicians, concert:nova seeks to expand the traditional concert experience and provide a unique artistic understanding by building creative and expressive collaborations through the integration of dance, theatre and visual media into each adventurous project, presented in exciting and non-traditional venues. By performing renegade works in renegade spaces, the group is dedicated to producing content that is provocative, compelling and relevant to Cincinnati audiences in today's world.
Please visit www.concertnova.com or contact the C:N team at info@concertnova.com for more info about this innovative ensemble and upcoming events.

Tuesday 18 November 2008




Monday 27 October 2008

Concert:Nova smashes tradition


October 26, 2008

The Cincinnati Enquirer
By Janelle Gelfand

They call it renegade chamber music - a new kind of performance art merging music, dance, acting and visual media in unexpected places. The founders of Concert:Nova, a chamber ensemble of Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra musicians, say they are tossing traditional classical presentations out the window. The idea, they say, is to close the gap between performers and audience.
"It's no longer about the artist telling the audience about the art. It's taking away the construct of performing and just being able to experience the art," says clarinetist and artistic director Ixi Chen.
Concert:Nova will open its second season on Thursday in the "UnMuseum" at the Contemporary Arts Center, downtown.
The first concert, "Where the Wild Things Are," a takeoff on Maurice Sendak's popular children's book, is emblematic of the group's mission. It's being presented as an "installation" at the CAC, where fantastical illustrations of the tale by Till Lassmann, a German illustrator and animator, will accompany the music that tells the story of Max's journey to the land of the Wild Things.
The musicians will transform into an electro-acoustic ensemble - including Owen Lee on electric bass and Tanya Berman on electric violin - for a fusion of classical, rock and avant-garde by New York composer Randall Woolf.
They hope their collaborative ideas will create a new forum for dialogue about art and break down some of the barriers surrounding classical music.
They have mounted their projects in spaces such as the downtown bar Twist, Below Zero Lounge and Know Theatre in Over-the-Rhine. This year, they hope to branch into alternative venues, such as a parking garage or an airport hangar, "to bring different elements of the city into our art," Chen says.
The five-concert season will include projects with actors, artists and members of Cincinnati Ballet. In December, Concert:Nova will team with artist Trinidad Mac-Auliffe and actor Julianna Bloodgood for a concert of Olivier Messiaen's "Quartet for the End of Time," composed in a World War II concentration camp, paired with Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot."

If you go
What: Concert:Nova: "Where the Wild Things Are"
When: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: UnMuseum, Contemporary Arts Center, Downtown Cincinnati
Tickets: $20, $10 Enjoy the Arts/Start members or students; 513-321-5073, www.concertnova.com
Halloween revelers: Wear your "Wild Things" costume and stay for a free reception.

Wednesday 15 October 2008

Preview of "Where the wild things are"



http://www.contemporaryartscenter.org/44

44: Concert: Nova
Monday, October 20, noon - 2 pm
Sneak Preview of Where the Wild Things Are
Can't wait until October 30? Check out up-and-coming renegade chamber group concert:nova to catch a sneak peek at their upcoming show, Where the Wild Things Are. Inspired by the Sendak story, NYC composer Randall Woolf created an eight-part electro-acoutsic ballet, this time set to projected illustrations by German artist Till Lassmann.
See the complete work October 30, 8:00pm at the CAC.

CONCERT:NOVA is a fresh new chamber music ensemble that blends the traditional, the contemporary and the visual arts to explore a modern kinetic musical experience. Concert:nova strives to explore and perform brilliant works from the chamber music repertoire with a creative visual twist that gives the audience a taste of the unexpected. By illustrating the music and charging the atmosphere with relevant works and performances concert:nova reinvents the stage, reinvents the meaning of "play" and places the audience within the movement of sound as it happens.

Saturday 27 September 2008

October 2, 2008. 11am



Tatiana Berman-Jarvi - Violin
Polina Bespalko - Piano

Schumann: Sonata no. 1, op. 105
Brahms: Sonata no. 3, op. 108
Tchaikowski: Melody op. 42

Symphony Club

Cincinnati Queen City Club






October 2, 2008


C:N Party!
@ The Cincinnati Athletic Club
111 Shilito Place
Cincinnati 45202
Tel: 513 241 00 96
Food and Drinks @ 6pm - Courtesy of Andy's Mediterranean Grill
Performance/Presentation @ 7pm
$10 @ the door

Wednesday 6 August 2008

Leigo Lakes Festival in Estonia!





August 6, 2008

Music - it's a family business!

It was a memorable experience to have an entire evening of concerts featuring mostly soloists from one family- Jarvi. Tatiana was a soloist in Bach's Double Violin Concerto and the Brandenburg Concerto No 4. She also lead the Vivaldi Piccolo Concerto played by Hayley Jarvi.

Here are a couple of links to newspaper articles about the Leigo Lakes Festival and some photos too...
















Friday 27 June 2008

Tchaikowsky: Souvenir d’un lieu cher


Here is a link to a review from this performance:
July 23, 2008

David Oistrakh Festival
Estonia, Pärnu - Elisabeth Church

Paavo Järvi - conductor
Tatiana Berman - violin
St. Peterburg Festival Chamber orchestra
Neeme Jarvi Summer Academy conductors

The programme:
W.A.Mozart - Eine kleine Nachtmusik
D.Shostakovich - Chamber Symphony op. 110a in c (arr. By Stasevich)
Tchaikowsky: Souvenir d’un lieu cher, Op. 42 Meditation, Scherzo, Melodie

Benjamin Britten - Simple Symphony

An excerpt from the review: "It was the first of two concerts this month led by members of Neeme Jarvi's Summer Academy, an annual conducting master course held in conjunction with the Oistrakh Festival since 2000.Guest artist was violinist Tatiana Berman in Tchaikovsky’s “Souvenir d’un lieu cher,” which was conducted by Academy instructor Paavo Jarvi. Consecrated in 1750, St. Elizabeth Church hosts concerts each summer by the 37-year-old festival, named for legendary Russian violinist David Oistrakh, who summered in Parnu from 1955-70. This year’s festival commemorates the 100th anniversary of Oistrakh’s birth. There could have been no more fitting tribute to his memory than Russian-born Berman’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s three-part work. Originally for violin and piano (performed here in the arrangement for violin and strings by Alexandru Lascae), it was dedicated to Tchaikovsky’s “beloved place,” his patroness Nadezhda von Meck’s county estate in Poland, where he could spend time composing in the summer. Born in Moscow, Berman trained at the Yehudi Menuhin School (with Menuhin and Natalia Boyarsky) and London’s Royal College of Music (Yossi Zivoni). She plays with exquisite taste, style and precision. Here she brought every facet of the composer’s small gem to light. There were sweetness and purity of tone in the opening “Meditation,” where she climbed to a silvery high D at the end (five ledger lines above the staff). The “Scherzo” was a mini-steeplechase, with her bow bounding across the strings like an agile young filly, engaging in some beautiful dialogue at one point with SPFO concertmaster Alexander Shustin. The concluding, very familiar “Melodie” was exquisite from start to finish. There was a breathtaking moment at the return of the opening melody where she lengthened the tempo in precise sync with Jarvi and the orchestra. And why not, since Jarvi and Berman are husband and wife?"

Tuesday 10 June 2008

Concert:nova @Cincinnati Opera Kick-off Party






By Mary Ellyn Hutton

Jun 10, 2008

Cincinnati Opera Center Stage, a social group comprising young operaphiles age 40 and under, helps the Opera launch its 2008 summer festival with a kick-off party from 8 p.m. to midnight June 14 at the Contemporary Arts Center, Sixth and Walnut Streets downtown. The party will have a rain forest theme highlighting Mexican composer Daniel Catan's "Florencia en el Amazonas," tree frog, Amazonto be given its regional premiere by Cincinnati Opera July 10 and 12 at Music Hall. There will be music, dancing, a tapas buffet and full cash bar.

Special guests will be members of concert:nova, the versatile new chamber ensemble comprising members of the CSO and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestras, who will perform Brazilian and Cuban music. Learn about the group and their mission at
http://www.concertnova.com/. Cincinnati Opera young artists will also weigh in during the evening, and there will be Latin cuts for dancing by DJ/VJ Will Benson. Tickets are $10, available online at http://www.cincinnatiopera.org/, at the Cincinnati Opera box office in Music Hall, 1241 Elm St. downtown, or call (513) 241-2742. For $25, you get admission to the party and Center Stage membership for one year (application can be made online). Members enjoy discounted tickets to the Opera and invitations to special events including post-performance parties, Opera Raps, wine tastings and so on, year-round. Ticket discounts are structured according to a five-year plan whereby members are entitled to 50% off up to two Cincinnati Opera season subscriptions during the first three years, tapering to 33% in the fourth year and regular price in the fifth. Discounts for single tickets are 50% off up to two tickets per production in the first two years, 25% off in the third and fourth years and regular price in the fifth. For further information call (513) 768-5500 or contact Julie Bergantino at jhttp://jbergantino@cincinnatiopera.org
© Copyright 2008 by Music in Cincinnati

Friday 23 May 2008

Concert:nova @ Inner Peace May 30, 2008


Concert:nova has teamed up with the Inner Peace Holistic Center and Photographer Tom McFarlane to bring you a beautiful evening of Art and Music!

Here is a link to Mary Ellyn's website

http://www.musicincincinnati.com/site/news/From_Inner_Peace_to_Iguanas.html
A short performance by Concert:nova will feature works by Vivaldi, Mozart, Ginastera and Piazzolla

Doors open at 8PM for a viewing of Tom McFarlane's newest digital photography

Music begins at 9:30

Admission $5

Also featuring:

Chinese Tea + Wine Tastings
Mystical Tea Leaf Readings
Door prizes and raffle

For more information:

513.784.0403

http://www.innerpeacecenter.net/
708 Walnut Street Cincinnati, Ohio

http://www.concertnova.com/

May 18, 2008

Concert at the house of Anne Black with violinist Tatiana Berman-Järvi and friends

The evening of chamber music to benefit the Peaslee Neighborhood Center String Program was a great success!

Special thanks to the musicians who made it happen:

Performing Prokofiev’s Quintet in G minor and Brahms’ Piano Trio No. 1 in B major.
Pianist Polina Bezpal'ko
Oboist Dwight Parry
Clarinetist Jonathan Gunn
Violist Victor de Almeida
Cellist Alan Rafferty
Double bass player Boris Astafiev

This program will provide free violin, cello and guitar lessons.
If you would like to help donating time, money, ideas or instruments, please contact tatiana_berman@yahoo.com

Saturday 10 May 2008

Concert:nova Latin @Twist

May 19, at 9pm
@Twist Bar+Lounge

129 W. 4th street
Cincinnati, OH
USA
Tel: 513.721.1345

Wednesday 16 April 2008

Stravinsky Soldier's Tale


May 6, 2008

Educational Concert
Programme: Stravinsky Soldier's Tale

Performers: Tatiana Berman-Järvi with musicians from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Stacey Wooley as narrator


Location @St. John the Baptist School
5351 Dry Ridge Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45252
Tel:(513) 385-6368

Wednesday 19 March 2008

Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time

Locations and times:


Saturday, March 29, 2008 @ 6 p.m.

Peaslee Children's Center Fundraiser benefiting the String Program 2008-9
Bell Loft, 920 Race Street, Cincinnati



Sunday, March 30 @ 7:30 p.m.

As part of the Service at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Indiana



Michael Chertock - Piano

Tatiana Berman-Jarvi Violin

Mark Kosmala -Cello

Miriam Culley - Clarinet





Wednesday 12 March 2008

Concert:nova, Know Theatre Bring Stravinsky's "Soldier"

March 10, 2008

By Mary Ellyn Hutton
http://www.musicincincinnati.com/site/reviews/
One of the most promising new arts groups in town is Concert:nova, a chamber ensemble drawn from the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestras. Founded in 2007, Concert:nova is dedicated to renewing the concert experience through multi-media and meeting people where they are. If you haven’t caught them in a bar or café downtown (they performed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital after Christmas), chances are you will in one of the non-traditional or “found” spaces the players favor -- and in ways you may not expect. The enterprising group presented a complete, staged performance of Igor Stravinsky’s “Histoire du soldat” (“A Soldier’s Tale”) in collaboration with The Know Theatre and Next to Nothing Theater Company Sunday evening at Know Theatre’s home on Jackson Street in Over-the-Rhine. Winter weather or no, there was a full house for the first show. The second – an add-on necessitated by the cancellation of Friday’s snowed-out opening – drew a good crowd, too. It was an encouraging response for a fledgling arts group just beginning to sink its roots (Concert:nova) and the adventurous Know Theatre, now celebrating its 10th season (their slogan is “just left of off Broadway," see http://www.knowtheatre.com/.
Stravinsky’s 1918 classic was right at home in the Know Theatre (an intimate space seating about 100 between Central Parkway and 12th St. across from Kroger/Gateway Garage). Scored for seven instrumentalists and three actors, including narrator, the work was premiered in cramped quarters during World War I in Switzerland, when resources were scarce. It is usually heard as a concert suite. The original text (in French) is by Swiss writer C.F. Ramuz, based on a Russian folk tale told to Ramuz by Stravinsky. Cincinnati actress Julianna Bloodgood and actor/director Michael Burnham, professor of drama at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, have given it a new twist, painfully up to date with the modern world. In the original, a soldier (Joseph) returning home from war is met by the Devil, who persuades him to trade his violin (i.e. his soul) for a book promising untold wealth. When Joseph finds unhappiness instead, he challenges the Devil to a game of cards. Joseph loses his wealth, but regains his violin. His playing cures a princess and he wins her hand in marriage. They don’t live happily ever after, however, because Joseph violates the Devil’s warning not to try to revisit his past. He tries to visit his mother in secret and, just over the border, is claimed by the Devil. Bloodgood and Burnham have updated Ramuz’ story, complete with euphonious rhymed couplets, so that the soldier is a survivor of one of today’s wars. Black and white slides projected onto sheets behind the stage provided scenic backdrop (tanks, barbed wire, city streets). The Narrator is female and joins the action as the “Princess,” who may be Joseph’s wife or fiancée. The Devil and Joseph’s bargain may or may not be real be real. The Princess asks Joseph what has happened to him, but he will not tell her. He dies by his own hand, a victim of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The seven instrumentalists occupied the center of the stage and occasionally supplemented the action with sound effects (claps) and comments. Former CSO assistant conductor Tito Munoz, 24, conducted (Munoz is now assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra). Violinist Tatiana Berman played with storybook expression: crisp, gritty, sweet or husky, echoing Joseph’s complex feelings and playing a blue streak when the drama escalated. (She was dressed fittingly in black slacks, satin-trimmed jacket and spike-heeled red shoes.) All of the musicians were casually, even scruffily dressed, Munoz in sneakers and navy tee-shirt, clarinetist Ixi Chen in an open, knee-length coat. Members of the ensemble also included double bassist Owen Lee, bassoonist Hugh Michie, trumpeter Doug Lindsay, trombonist Jeremy Moeller and percussionist Patrick Schleker. All played in technicolor, their onstage position assuring that Stravinsky’s music got equal billing with the action. Munoz led unobtrusively, with controlled energy and clarity.
Know actor/CCM drama graduate Anthony Darnell was youthful and touchingly vulnerable as Joseph, circling the ensemble with wonder, consternation and finally despair. Burnham, who wore an “I voted today” sticker on his sweater, was the Devil, bearded and smug as he wheedled the young man. Bloodgood (also a CCM drama graduate) inhabited her role as Narrator and Princess easily and naturally, whether leaning casually against the wall as an observer, or lovingly entreating Joseph to share his story with her. Bloodgood and Burnham’s text is filled with references and images straight from today’s headlines. Instructions from the Devil’s how-to book on acquiring wealth: “On spec...sub-prime...artificial demand... ” Joseph: “Have I been running from or running to?” Devil to Joseph: “Don't think you'll ever be OK, those pictures in your head won't go away." Joseph to the Princess: “You’ll never share it, you weren’t there.” All of it proceeded naturally, even logically, from the Princess/Narrator’s observation (echoing the original, Burnham said): “Others might tell you his death was a sin, but his death was just caused by where he had been.” The ensemble played “The Devil’s Triumphant March” furiously as Bloodgood held Joseph’s violin toward the audience at the end.
Concert:nova’s next concert, “Concert:nova on Canvas,” featuring artist Anya Gerasimchuk and music by Astor Piazolla, Manuel de Falla, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Luigi Boccherini and Alberto Ginastera, will take place in May, venue to be announced.
For further information, visit http://www.concertnova.com/.

Monday 25 February 2008

New production of Stravinsky Histoire du soldat


Double bill of Histoire du Soldat

March 7 at 9.30pm - cancelled due to weather!
Sunday, March 9 at 5pm and 7.30 added performance!

The Know Theater production, conducted by Tito Munoz


Know Theatre Of Cincinnati 1120 Jackson Street Cincinnati, OH 45202

contact 513.300.KNOW (5669)

Monday 18 February 2008

Concert:nova - After the concert


February 6, 2008


Some of us had sushi accompanied by a few sake shots at the Sake Bomb on Erie Avenue in Cincinnati. Great place!

Friday 25 January 2008

February 5 & 6, 2008 Concert:nova




Concert February 5, 2008 at 8pm


@ BELOW ZERO LOUNGE



1122 Walnut Street,

Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

513.421.ZERO (9376)




The program




Vivaldi Four Seasons-"Winter"

Debussy Afternoon of a Faun

Schubert Trout Quintet

Celtic "Secret Garden"

Bach Largo from the Violin Sonata no 3 in C major

Buyukyildirim Jazz original



Concert February 6, 2008 at 8.30pm
@ YOGAHOME

3215 Brotherton Road, Cincinnati, Ohio
513.871.YOGA (9642)

The program

Vivaldi Four Seasons-"Winter"
Debussy Afternoon of a Faun
Schubert Trout Quintet
Celtic "Secret Garden"
Bach Largo from the Violin Sonata no3 in C major
Buyukyildirim Jazz original

For further info please contact http://www.concertnova.com/