Inaugural BAM Opera Festival Begins March 18
By: BWW News Desk Feb. 08, 2010
From March 18-April 2, the stately sounds of the 17th-century descend on New York for BAM's inaugural Opera Festival, curated by the visionary conductor William Christie with an eye towards the Baroque. An indispensible figure at BAM, Christie and his gifted ensemble Les Arts Florissants made their BAM debut in 1989 with Jean-Baptiste Lully's enchanting Atys, marking the
dawn of the city's infatuation with the ensemble and the exhilarating fire and pathos it lends to the
Baroque opera experience. On the occasion of their 30th anniversary, Christie and Les Arts
Florissants return to New York to transform BAM into a musical panorama of Restoration-era England (and beyond) with two opera masterpieces by Purcell-Dido and Aeneas and The Fairy Queen-the French Baroque jewel Actéon, an intimate recital with Christie, Baroque Cabaret, and more.
By Henry Purcell
Musical Direction by William Christie
Directed by Vincent Boussard Conducted by William Christie (Mar 18, 21) and JoNathan Cohen (Mar 20)
Musical direction and harpsichord by William Christie
Assistant direction by JoNathan Cohen
Costumes by Chantal de la Coste Messelière
Lighting by Gloria Montesinos
Cast: Emmanuelle de Negri (Belinda); Katherine Watson (Second Woman); Ana Quintans
(Second Witch); Céline Ricci (First Witch); Sonya Yoncheva (Dido); Hillary Summers
(Sorceress); Konstantin Wolff (Aeneas); DamIan Whiteley (Sailor); Ed Lyon (Spirit)
In English with titles
Actéon World premiereBy Marc-Antoine Charpentier Les Arts Florissants
Musical Direction by William Christie
Directed by Vincent Boussard Conducted by William Christie (Mar 18, 21) and JoNathan Cohen (Mar 20)
Musical direction and harpsichord by William Christie
Assistant direction by JoNathan Cohen
Costumes by Chantal de la Coste Messelière
Lighting by Gloria Montesinos
Cast: Emmanuelle de Negri (Aréthuze); Katherine Watson (Diane); Ana Quintans (Daphné);
Céline Ricci (Hyale); Ed Lyon (Actéon); Hillary Summers (Junon)
In French with English titles
BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton Street)
Mar 18 & 20 at 7:30pm
Mar 21 at 6pm
Tickets: $35, 65, 85, 125
Aeneas and Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Actéon. Renowned conductor and harpsichordist William
Christie and the beloved period ensemble Les Arts Florissants bring together these two thematically linked works. Capturing the tensions and decorum of the Baroque era-in strikingly divergent ways- both new productions reveal Les Arts Florissants' musical mastery of and passion for the British and French repertories. Dido and Aeneas is Virgil's tragic story of star-crossed lovers, a queen and a Trojan refugee, while Actéon brilliantly retells the Greek myth of Diana and her eponymous suitor, who must be punished after glimpsing the goddess bathing. These distinctive, dramatically astute works create a seamless marriage of narrative, song, dance, and music. William Christie, harpsichordist, conductor, musicologist, and teacher, is the inspiration behind one of the most exciting musical adventures of the last 30 years. His pioneering work has led to a renewed appreciation of 17th- and 18th-century French repertoire. Born in Buffalo, N.Y., Christie studied at Harvard and Yale Universities and has lived in France since 1971. The major turning point in his career came in 1979 when he founded Les Arts Florissants. As director of this vocal and instrumental ensemble, Christie brings new interpretations of largely neglected or forgotten repertoire to fruition.
Major public recognition came in 1987 with the production of Atys at the Opéra-Comique in Paris.
Christie has since collaborated with renowned theater and opera directors, and has created a
discography spanning more than 100 recordings. Since 2002, he has appeared regularly as a guest
conductor with the Berlin Philharmonic. In November 2008, William Christie was elected to the
Académie des Beaux-Arts; he was officially received under the dome of the Institut de France in
January 2010.
The vocal and instrumental ensemble Les Arts Florissants is one of the most renowned and
respected early music groups in Europe and around the world. Dedicated to the performance of
Baroque music on original instruments, the ensemble was founded in 1979 by William Christie and
takes its name from a short opera by Marc-Antoine Charpentier. The ensemble has collaborated on
productions with renowned stage directors and choreographers and produced a discography of more than 80 recordings for Harmonia Mundi, Warner Classics/Erato, and EMI/Virgin Classics.
The Fairy Queen U.S. premiere
By Henry Purcell Les Arts Florissants
Produced by Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Opéra-Comique, Théâtre de Caen, and BAM
Musical direction by William Christie
Directed by Jonathan Kent Conducted by William Christie (Mar 23, 25, 26) and JoNathan Cohen (Mar 27)
Set design and costumes by Paul Brown
Lighting design by Mark Henderson
Choreography by Kim Brandstrup
Emmanuelle De Negri (Night/The Plaint); Lucy Crowe (Juno); Claire Debono
(Mystery/Fairy/Nymph); Miriam Allan, Anna Devin, and Maud Gnidzaz (Fairies); Ed Lyon
(Chinese Man); Robert Burt (Mopsa); AnDrew Foster-Williams (Hymen/Sleep/Winter); Sean
Clayton (Summer); David Webb (Autumn); Andrew Davies (Phoebus); Helen Jane Howells
(Eve); and Callum Thorpe
Mar 23*, 25-27 at 7:30pm
Tickets: $35, 65, 105, 150
*The Fairy Queen Gala: A celebration of the BAM Opera Festival.
For tickets and information contact BAM Patron Services at 718.636.4182
"With The Fairy Queen at Opéra Comique, Purcell's music and the language of [William Shakespeare]achieve a triumph of equal parts. A treat." -Le Figaro
"Let's be clear: this is a rare treat...it could well be a new and equally mythic Atys."
-Le Monde
rare staging, this "semi-opera" is presented as originally composed, featuring spoken text (an
anonymous adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream performed by a full company of actors), music (overtures, preludes, and allegorical masques which complete each act), and dance. For decades, conductors and directors have chosen to dispense with the spoken text, leaving songs, dances, and choruses without context. Served in its complete form-from a new edition of the score first performed in 2009 by Glyndebourne Festival Opera-the work is an extravagant feast of theater, music, dance, and visual spectacle, featuring a cast of more than 40 artists on stage. Its tableaux feature swans that turn into fairies, the sun-god descending from the ceiling, and Titania, the ice queen, caught in a spider's web. The Fairy Queen will be conducted by William Christie on Mar 23, 25, and 26, and by JoNathan Cohen on Mar 27. On its premiere at Glyndebourne in June 2009, The Telegraph (UK) commented on William Christie's "...customary bonhomie and spirit of fun, using the lightest of touches to capture all of Purcell's playfully sly and sexy charm." The Guardian (UK) called the production "...a great achievement and you're a fool if you miss it." According to The Independent, "...it's not often you see a director and designer collude so seamlessly, so imaginatively, and so amusBrandstrup's choreography is both discreet and exquisite..."
Additional BAM Opera Festival Events:
Baroque CabaretMar 21 & 24 at 9pm
BAMcafé
Tickets: $20 Revel in a dressed-down version of the English Baroque with two concerts in the intimacy of BAMcafé featuring members of Les Arts Florissants and conductor JoNathan Cohen. On March 21, Love's Delights is the theme of an evening of arias and instrumentals by Purcell, Handel, Mancini, and Blow. The evening will feature soprano Claire Debono, tenor Robert Burt, and bass Callum Thorpe, as well as an instrumental ensemble of Sébastien Marq, recorder, and Myriam Gevers and Sophie Gevers-Demoures, violins. On March 24, the evening entitled The Tempest comprises excerpts from this fanciful work by Purcell as well as "Raise, raise the voice" from the Ode for St. Cecilia's Day. This evening will feature soprano Lucy Crowe, tenor Ed Lyon, baritone AnDrew Foster-Williams, and an instrumental ensemble comprising violinists Florence Malgoire and Catherine Girard, cellist David Simpson, and lutist Brian Feehan.
A BAMcafé menu will be available throughout the evening.
The Fairy Queen Gala: a celebration of the BAM Opera Festival
Mar 23
Celebrate the historic occasion of BAM's first Opera Festival with a special gala performance of The Fairy Queen preceded by a spectacular cocktail reception and dinner at One Hanson Place. Co-chairs: Aashish & Dinny Devitre; Corporate Chair: Pamela Codispoti, American Express; Honoree: Ronald P. Stanton
Please call BAM Patron Services at 718.636.4182 for more information.
Mar 24 at 6:30pm
BAM Rose Cinemas
Tickets: $12
Tickets to this event are available at BAM.org or by calling 718.777.FILM. Jean-Baptiste Lully's final masterpiece shimmers on the big screen in this production by William
Christie and Les Arts Florissants, staged in 2008 at the Théâtre des Champs Élysées with direction by Robert Carsen (sung in French). Christie creates an inspired take on the story of a sorceress and her ill-fated love spell as the cameras provide views from the best seats in the house. The film will be introduced by William Christie. Artist Talk with William Christie
Moderated by Ara Guzelimian
Mar 25 at 6pm
Hillman Attic Studio
Tickets: $10 ($5 for Friends of BAM) William Christie discusses opera, his work, and his thoughts of the day in a conversation with Ara
Guzelimian, dean of The Juilliard School. Followed by an audience Q&A.
Rehearsal with Commentary: The Fairy Queen
Mar 26 at 5:15pm
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
$20
Mar 28 at 3pm
BAMcafé (Lepercq Space)
Tickets: $150 William Christie curates and performs in an intimate recital of Purcell songs and duets at BAMcafé.
Featuring harpsichord (played by Christie), viola da gamba (played by Anne-Marie Lasla), and soprano soloists Miriam Allan and Claire Debono (from The Fairy Queen), this program will include excerpts from King Arthur, The Indian Queen, The Fairy Queen, and other Purcell highlights. The performance will be followed by a champagne reception. Archive Exhibition
BAM, Peter Jay Sharp Building, 3rd floor
Free
Accessible during Opera House and BAMcafé events, beginning in mid-March With sixteen previous engagements at BAM, William Christie and Les Arts Florissants have
established an inimitable legacy in New York. Relive some of their highlights in a special archival
exhibition chronicling their extraordinary productions at BAM. Events at The Juilliard School
Master Class
Mar 31 at 4pm / Paul Hall
Free; tickets available Mar 17 Juilliard Period Instrument Ensemble
Apr 2 at 8pm / Alice Tully Hall
Free; tickets available Mar 19 Complementing the BAM Opera Festival, The Juilliard School offers a master class with William
Christie and a concert by the Juilliard Period Instrument Ensemble, conducted by Christie. Tickets are available to the general public at The Juilliard Box Office only. A limited number of tickets to these events are accessible to Friends of BAM at the Producers Council level and above by phone at 718.636.4182. For more information, visit juilliard.edu or call 212.769.7406.
General Information
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, BAM Rose Cinemas, and BAMcafé are located in the Peter Jay Sharp building at 30 Lafayette Avenue (between St Felix Street and Ashland Place) in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. BAM Harvey Theater is located two blocks from the main building at 651 Fulton Street (between Ashland and Rockwell Places). Both locations house Shakespeare & Co. at BAM kiosks. BAM Rose Cinemas is Brooklyn's only movie house dedicated to first-run independent and foreign film and repertory programming.
BAMcafé, operated by Great Performances, is open for dining prior to Howard Gilman Opera House evening performances. BAMcafé also features an eclectic mix of spoken word and live music for BAMcafé Live on Friday nights with a special BAMcafé Live menu available starting at 8pm.
Subway: 2, 3, 4, 5, Q, B to Atlantic Avenue;
D, M, N, R to Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street; C to Lafayette Avenue
Train: Long Island Railroad to Flatbush Avenue
Bus: B25, B26, B41, B45, B52, B63, B67 all stop within three blocks of BAM
Car: Commercial parking lots are located adjacent to BAM
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