Da Camera Presents VIENNA 1900: IN THE GARDEN OF DREAMS

Da Camera of Houston presents Vienna 1900: In the Garden of Dreams, an immersive original production conceived of and directed by Da Camera Artistic Director Sarah Rothenberg, on Friday, February 1 and Saturday, February 2, 2019, at 7:30 p.m., at Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.

Rothenberg, who is currently celebrating her 25th anniversary season as Da Camera's artistic director, is celebrated for her original productions that illuminate the connections between music, literature and visual art. For this work, Rothenberg revisits fin-de-siècle Vienna as a follow-up to In the Garden of Dreams, which premiered in 2013. She draws on the writings of August Stringberg and Sigmund Freud, the sensual paintings of Gustav Klimt and the erotic prints of Max Klinger to illuminate the close connections between music and art, transporting audiences into a world of new ideas.

The production begins inside an imagined music room in fin-de-siècle Vienna, where a solitary pianist plays Johannes Brahms's last works. The music conjures Klinger's Brahms-Phantasie-a series of illustrations inspired by Brahms and conceived as a visual complement to his music-which gradually fill the room, where an artist sings of a former love. The scene gradually transforms into a decaying landscape that echoes Arnold Schoenberg's The Book of Hanging Gardens; there, Fraulein E. suffers from paralyzing depression following a passionate love affair. She is consumed by powerful imagery of her dreams, and the song cycle reaches its shattering conclusion as reality, dream, memory and hallucination merge in her mind.

The performers are Rothenberg, pianist; John Brancy, baritone, playing the Artist; and Abigail Fischer, mezzo-soprano, playing Fraulein E. The designers Rothenberg tapped for the project are Sven Ortel, projection design; Marcus Doshi, lighting and set design; and Marina Draghici, costume design.

Rothenberg will preview the performance with a historical exploration of society's fascination with dreams at "Seeds of Inspiration: The Influence of Dreams on Early 20th Century Vienna," at the Jung Center Houston on Thursday, January 17, 2019, at 5:45 p.m. The free lecture and performance will examine the appearance of dream imagery and language in psychology, painting, music and literature at the turn of the 20th century, interweaving musical examples from the piano.

Da Camera's chamber music series continues with Tous les Matins du Monde: Jordi Savall on Friday, March 1, 2019, and the Elias String Quartet on Monday, March 18 and Tuesday, March 19, 2019.

Tickets for Vienna 1900: In the Garden of Dreams start at $37.50. Tickets are available by contacting Da Camera, 1402 Sul Ross, at 713-524-5050 or online at www.dacamera.com. Tickets for students and senior citizens are always half-price. $5 student rush tickets are available 30 minutes before the concert begins.

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