28 Nov 2006 SEATTLE, WA- Early Music America has published the winter 2006 issue of its quarterly publication, Early Music America magazine.
NOTABLE IN THIS ISSUE:
STAGING BAROQUE OPERA
Once thought to be unworkable and uninteresting to the American audience, Baroque opera is now being staged throughout America with vitality and verve. Shula Kleinerman interviews various stage directors including James Middleton, Marshall Pynkoski, Drew Minter, Catherine Turocy and others about their craft.
Excerpt: Middleton insists that Baroque opera is far less rarified than it might seem. “It was a great deal more like popular culture than we make it now. Just as people will plop themselves for seven hours in front of the TV to watch those desperate housewives do desperate things, people would go down to the theater every night of the season to watch the same desperate Baroque goddesses 20 nights in a row. This is the paradox of historic staging: if the thing’s purpose is to entertain, and it doesn’t, then it’s not correct at all, no matter how ‘authentic’ it is. Whether you use fancy gestures or modern slouching, you still have to sing it like you mean it.”
INTERVIEW WITH JOEL COHEN
Long-time Boston Camerata director Joel Cohen shares his dreams for a far-reaching new project.
Excerpt : “What I want to do next is an outgrowth of the Cantigas project and other things we have done in that vein— The Sacred Bridge, the recent recording of A Mediterranean Christmas. As we have worked with musicians of Middle Eastern origin, both here and in Morocco, I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing more important at this point in history than to explore the common roots and meeting points of our respective civilizations…So I want to create an Institute of sorts where Arabs and Europeans, Christians and Muslims and Jews, can do serious work in music and related disciplines. I figure this is the best contribution I can make at this stage of my life to the global malaise we all feel.”
EARLY MUSIC in the Land of the Longleaf Pine
With a new festival underway and hopes for a more active college and university scene, early music is regrouping in North Carolina.
Excerpt: “Perhaps the most significant new offering is the Magnolia Baroque Festival which takes place in several venues around Winston-Salem. This event features a wide range of mainly Baroque-era music—by Bach, Vivaldi, and others—performed on period instruments.”
Also in this issue: “Top Ten Ways to Stay Front and Center,” advice for ensembles by the director of Pittsburgh Renaissance & Baroque Society.Plus Recording Reviews, Book Reviews, and Sound Bytes (news from the field).
About Early Music America
Early Music America serves and strengthens the early music community in North America and raises public awareness of early music. EMA was founded in 1985 and provides its 2,500 members with publications, advocacy, and technical support. EMA publishes the quarterly magazine Early Music America. “Early music” includes western music from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods, performed on period instruments in historically-informed styles. For more information, contact Early Music America at 206-720-6270 or 888-SACKBUT, or visit our web site at www.earlymusic.org.
NOTABLE IN THIS ISSUE:
STAGING BAROQUE OPERA
Once thought to be unworkable and uninteresting to the American audience, Baroque opera is now being staged throughout America with vitality and verve. Shula Kleinerman interviews various stage directors including James Middleton, Marshall Pynkoski, Drew Minter, Catherine Turocy and others about their craft.
Excerpt: Middleton insists that Baroque opera is far less rarified than it might seem. “It was a great deal more like popular culture than we make it now. Just as people will plop themselves for seven hours in front of the TV to watch those desperate housewives do desperate things, people would go down to the theater every night of the season to watch the same desperate Baroque goddesses 20 nights in a row. This is the paradox of historic staging: if the thing’s purpose is to entertain, and it doesn’t, then it’s not correct at all, no matter how ‘authentic’ it is. Whether you use fancy gestures or modern slouching, you still have to sing it like you mean it.”
INTERVIEW WITH JOEL COHEN
Long-time Boston Camerata director Joel Cohen shares his dreams for a far-reaching new project.
Excerpt : “What I want to do next is an outgrowth of the Cantigas project and other things we have done in that vein— The Sacred Bridge, the recent recording of A Mediterranean Christmas. As we have worked with musicians of Middle Eastern origin, both here and in Morocco, I have come to the conclusion that there is nothing more important at this point in history than to explore the common roots and meeting points of our respective civilizations…So I want to create an Institute of sorts where Arabs and Europeans, Christians and Muslims and Jews, can do serious work in music and related disciplines. I figure this is the best contribution I can make at this stage of my life to the global malaise we all feel.”
EARLY MUSIC in the Land of the Longleaf Pine
With a new festival underway and hopes for a more active college and university scene, early music is regrouping in North Carolina.
Excerpt: “Perhaps the most significant new offering is the Magnolia Baroque Festival which takes place in several venues around Winston-Salem. This event features a wide range of mainly Baroque-era music—by Bach, Vivaldi, and others—performed on period instruments.”
Also in this issue: “Top Ten Ways to Stay Front and Center,” advice for ensembles by the director of Pittsburgh Renaissance & Baroque Society.Plus Recording Reviews, Book Reviews, and Sound Bytes (news from the field).
About Early Music America
Early Music America serves and strengthens the early music community in North America and raises public awareness of early music. EMA was founded in 1985 and provides its 2,500 members with publications, advocacy, and technical support. EMA publishes the quarterly magazine Early Music America. “Early music” includes western music from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods, performed on period instruments in historically-informed styles. For more information, contact Early Music America at 206-720-6270 or 888-SACKBUT, or visit our web site at www.earlymusic.org.