Monday, August 24, 2009

Opera for Everyone! Puppets too...

Opera singers with a backdrop of bubbles? Interacting with cute fuzzy animal puppets onstage? Yes!

This past weekend wrapped up a wonderful run of the opera Carmen here at Hubbard Hall. The opera was amazing--but a bit intense for my 7-year-old (some very realistic special effects with knives and blood involved). So I opted instead to bring her to the Family Day at the Opera last Tuesday afternoon (bonus: it was free!).

We were treated to some of the most well-known arias and duets in all of opera -- you know, those feats of vocal acrobatics you hear in movie soundtracks and TV commercials. Plus a few fun surprises from classic musical theater. All performed by the talented and engaging Select Conservatory participants studying at Hubbard Hall this summer.

The program was carefully designed by director and opera educator Dianna Heldman to get the audience members involved and interacting with the opera students. There were opportunities to get on stage, to put on "gypsy jewelry" from Carmen, to act and dance along, and more!

Hubbard Hall Opera Theater's "Family Day at the Opera" was presented in collaboration with the Hyde Collection's Season of Degas event series. Their Degas and Music exhibition runs through mid-October.

If you missed this year's Family Day at the Opera, be sure to look for it to come around next August during opera season...

Monday, August 17, 2009

“La Tragédie de Carmen”

Excerpted from the review was written by Gail M. Burns - August 2009

...The Hubbard Hall Opera Theatre (HHOT) is presenting La Tragédie de Carmen, which is Peter Brook’s 1981 Tony Award-winning adaptation of Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella Carmen (Click HERE for an English translation) using some music from Georges Bizet’s famous 1875 opera, also titled Carmen and also based on Mérimée’s novella.

“We are doing a new investigation of [Carmen] – hence the new title – and what we have done is to separate its central core from the rest of the material, like boning a fish. Everything is trimmed away to focus on the intense interaction, the tragedy of four people.”

– Peter Brook

Brook (b. 1925) has been a leading innovator on the international theatre scene for more than half a century. La Tragédie de Carmen is the result of a collaboration with Jean-Claude Carrière and Marius Constant. Brook’s production, which opened in Paris, had a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy. At Hubbard Hall it is performed in an English translation by Sheldon Harnick whose greatest claim to fame are the lyrics for Fiddler on the Roof.

“La Tragédie de Carmen is a peculiar hybrid, a bird that makes noises like an opera but looks like a play and may be neither so much as a celebration of a director’s ingenuity.”

– Anonymous, NY Times

Indeed, Managing Artistic Director Alexina Jones selected of this pared down Carmen, with four singing and two speaking roles, because it fit her limited space and budgetary requirements, not because she shared Brook’s vision. I am not criticizing Jones’ choice – it is prudent producer who knows her company’s limitations as well as its strengths. This second season has been one of life-altering change for Jones, who gave birth to her first child last month, and for last season’s conductor, Richard Giarusso, who was married on the opening weekend of this production. Consequently the …Carmen orchestra is under the baton of Michael Ricciardone.

After a season of reviewing great musicals performed with inadequate instrumental accompaniment, it is a joy to watch and listen to a 15-piece orchestra. The audience for this production is seated on and in front of the stage, and on both sides, the performance space is on the floor, and the orchestra is tucked under the balcony behind the singers. I missed last year’s super-titles projected on the front edge of the balcony because even in Harnick rather pedestrian English translation it is not always easy to catch all the words. The other thing missed sorely this year was the splendid formal dress Giarusso affected. A conductor should be in white tie and tails, not in a faded black t-shirt and jeans, even in a little rural opera house.

I have actually seen and written about a concert staging of Carmen presented at Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood as a benefit for the now-defunct Berkshire Opera Company in 1998. It starred Denyce Graves and it was FABULOUS! I may be an opera dummy, but I realized even then that seeing and hearing Graves sing Carmen live was a BIG deal.

Graves was rightly billed then as “the world’s reigning Carmen,” but having seen Kara Cornell’s performance I think Graves now has serious competition. Cornell sang the role of Dorabella in last year’s HHOT production of Cosi… and when she first threw off her cloak and revealed herself here my heart sank because her blonde good looks didn’t immediately make me think of a hot-blooded gypsy. But that fear was quickly laid to rest as Cornell’s powerful soprano, her fine acting, and her sensuous dancing (the choreography is by MK Lawson) overcame all ethnic boundaries and made her Carmen through and through.

In fact, Cornell completely eclipsed everyone else on stage. Tenor Cameron Smith’s Don José and bass Andrew Cummings’ Escamillo were fine, but they were not as electrifying or vocally excellent as Cornell’s performance.

In the non-singing roles, John Goodrich looked like he was having fun playing the evil Lilas Pastia, and Richard Mazzaferro was an earnest Zuniga.

Here you are presented with a strong production of a Carmen few have had a chance to see, with a dynamic young soprano in the title role for a top ticket price of only $30! I wouldn’t let this opportunity pass you by.

The Hubbard Hall Opera Theatre production of La Tragédie de Carmen will be performed August 14, 15, 20, 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. and August 23 at 2 p.m. at Hubbard Hall, 25 East Main Street in Cambridge, NY. There will be a Pay-What-You-Will preview at 8 p.m. on August 13. The show runs 75 minutes with no intermission and is a little too racy for children under 8. Tickets are $25 for members, $30 for non-members and $20 for students/children. Call the box office at 518-677-2495 for tickets and information.

Copyright Gail M. Burns 2009

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Opening Weekend of Carmen!

It's Opening Weekend for the
Hubbard Hall Opera Theater's production of
Bizet's

La Tragedie de Carmen!
To get yourself relaxed and ready for the big weekend - register for our Foot Massage Workshop taking place in Thursday, August 13 from 6pm - 7:30pm in the Beacon Feed Building. It's only $15 per person or $25 for afoot massage couple. So bring a friend, sibling, neighbor or spouse along to get the best deal.

Foot massage can be a powerful tool in supporting the health of yourself and your family. This introduction to working the terrain of the feet will be a hands-on-feet event! Bring your curiosity and questions, a pillow, towel and light blanket. Instructor Anne Snyder began her 20+ year career by first learning foot massage.

She's given me a foot massage that was 20 minutes of sheer, relaxing bliss even for my beat up runner's feet!

Registration is required so please give us a call at 518-677-2495 to register!



George Bizet's
La Tragedie de Carmen

Opening Weekend!

CarmenIn 1981 Peter Brook's adaptation of Georges Bizet's Carmen premiered in Paris. In 1984 La Tragedie de Carmen won the Tony Award for Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theater. With the help of famous lyricist Sheldon Harnick, the English translation of this evocative work allowed Carmen to be understood in a new light.

This version is not meant to replace or outdo the usual Carmen, but rather is meant to hone our focus on a more intimate and no-frills tale as the tragedy of seduction, jealousy, lost freedom and lost love unravels and delivers a spicy and compact punch which can serve as a warning to anyone who has ever wanted
everything in life and risked it all.

August 13 - Pay What You Will / Open Rehearsal
August 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 at 8pm
August 23 at 2pm


Tickets: $25 for members / $30 nonmembers / $20 students/children

Advance ticket purchase/reservations strongly encouraged.

Call 518-677-2495 for tickets!

Box Office and Hubbard Hall Offices are open

Monday - Friday from 9am - 5pm only.

Please call during regular office hours for tickets. Please leave a message that contains your name and phone number if we are unable to take your call.

We'll call you back during regular office hours so please leave the phone number that you may be reached at during these times.


To round out your weekend, don't forget that we have the last of the Music from Salem Summer Concert Series performances this coming Sunday (8/16/09) at 3:00pm here at The Hall. This concert will feature a WORLD PREMIERE performance of Yu-Hui Chang's piece for piano and cello!


Tickets will be available at the door which opens at 2:30pm. Tickets are Pay What You Will thanks to a generous donor supporting this summer's series!

See you here at The Hall this weekend!!


Sincerely,
Deb

Debra Foster
Hubbard Hall Projects, Inc.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Happy beautiful, sunny day! I just wanted to give everyone a quick reminder of a couple of programs happening tomorrow, Thursday, August 8, 2009.

During the day we are hosting the final Music from Salem Children's Workshop!
I went to this program last year (okay, I'm stretching it to qualify as a "child" being just a few decades over 12) and had a terrific time! Bring your kids, grandkids, neices and nephews, the annoying neighbor kid or just the kid in you!


MfS Children's Workshops
And don't forget about the special Pay What You Will opera performance!

Songs for a Summer Evening

with Dianna Heldman, Opera Director of Cosi fan tutte and La Tragedie de Carmen and pianist Richard Cherry

Thursday, August 6 at 7pm in Historic Hubbard Hall


A collection of English art song on texts by your favorite poets. Pay-what-you-will fundraiser. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to enjoy this special performance to benefit the Opera Theater. All donations gratefully accepted and needed!!

Think you're not an opera fan? Well, live opera in such an intimate setting is an entirely different, and exciting, experience versus listening to recordings! I was a completely "opera - yuck" devotee until experiencing last summer's Cosi fan tutte, which blew me away. Right up there with U2! Challenge yourself to something new tomorrow night; you can't beat the price because you decide what it is!

See you at The Hall!
Sincerely,
Deb
Debra Foster
Hubbard Hall Projects, Inc.