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| Vol.24, No. 02 | Sept. 11, 1998 |
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| Vol.24, No. 02 | Sept. 11, 1998 |
New Series, "Music In Columbia's Great Spaces" and "Opulent Music," Debut; $5 Student Tickets Available
By Kim Brockway
The New York theatrical premiere of the chamber opera Der Kaiser Von Atlantis (The Emperor of Atlantis) kicks off the Miller Theatre's 1998-99 season -- a season that celebrates Columbia's rededication to its rich tradition of presenting new opera works and rediscoveries. The opening concerts, commemorating both the 10-year anniversary of the restructured Miller Theatre and the centennial of composer Viktor Ullmann, will be held Sept. 17-19.
"The Miller Theatre is dedicating itself to the finest of its legacy, especially two disciplines in which Columbia has played an historic role this century: chamber opera and new music," said George Steel, the theatre's executive director. "Under the leadership of Otto Luening in the '40s, Columbia presented such important works as the world premieres of Britten and Auden's Paul Bunyan. We are proud to reestablish our longstanding commitment to chamber opera in a theatre was restructured a decade ago expressly for that purpose."
Other highlights of the upcoming season include discussions with such writers in exile as Wole Soyinka and Wei Jingsheng in the "Theatre of Ideas" series, and screenings and discussions of films by Akira Kurosawa in the "Japanese Film Masters" series.
For the first time, $5 tickets will be available to Columbia students with valid C.U.I.D. for most events on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to availability.
Composed in Theresienstadt, Hitler's "model city" for German and Czech Jews, Ullman's Der Kaiser von Atlantis combines the lush harmonies of his teachers Schoenberg and Zemlinsky with the jazz vernacular of Kurt Weill and Duke Ellington. Two additional premieres follow in October and November: Rasa, a new piece by the Indian-born American composer Shirish Korde based on the 1989 novel Jasmine by Bharati Mukherjee on Oct. 25, and Ravenshead, a one-man opera inspired by the tragic around-the world sailboat race of businessman Donald Crowhurst, on Nov. 12 and 13.
Reinstating "New Works October," its celebrated month-long exploration of important new music, Miller Theatre will present ten concerts - each representing a single composer. From the German performance group Frigg's Brecht Project (which includes a preconcert discussion with Frigg founder, guitarist and composer Bert Wrede), to a 75th birthday tribute to Ned Rorem (which also includes a preconcert discussion with Rorem), the month builds on the past tradition of new music at Columbia while expanding its reach.
Instruments with 100-Foot Strings Will Be Played in Low Rotunda
Also marking its debut this season is "Music in Columbia's Great Spaces," a series of concerts that branch out from Miller Theatre into some of the University's most extraordinary sites, offering an unparalleled and inspiring marriage of music and architecture. On Sept. 25 -26, orchestral sounds will emanate from Low Library Rotunda as performers walk among the nearly 100 foot-long strings of a "Long-Stringed Instrument." The concert, "Suspended Music Installation and Performance," will feature California's Deep Listening Band with Ellen Fullman on the Long Stringed Instrument. The production is presented in association with Terry Pender of Columbia's Electronic Music Studio, and Jonathan Kramer of the Music Division; Gabriella Gutierrez, a 1988 alumna of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, collaborated on the installation, and another alumna, Lauren Amazeen (M.F.A.'88) is the concert's producer.
Concerts in Casa Italiana and St. Paul's Chapel
Concerts at Casa Italiana's Teatro will trace the evolution of the Italian Trio Sonata (Oct. 20) and feature piano music from Fascist Italy (Nov. 5). Finally, St. Paul's Chapel will be filled with the sounds of 14th and 15th century music performed by the Belgian group the Huelgas Ensemble on April 27, and English composer Robert Parsons' Latin church music, performed by the Vox Vocal Ensemble and Miller Theatre director George Steel.
Another new series, "Opulent Music," showcases the body of music that first emerged in the late 19th century and is variously described as Impressionistic and exotic, mystical and decadent. The series begins with "French Opulence," examining the impact of Symbolism on Debussy and his followers in two concerts, one vocal and one chamber music, in February; "Russian and German Opulence" will take center stage in April and May. In conjunction with Opulent Music, Miller Theatre will present the single most influential work of Symbolist literature: Maurice Maeterlinck's Pellˇas et Mˇlisande, as directed by Lane Savadove, March 12-14.
Theatre of Ideas
The "Theatre of Ideas" series, produced in conjunction with the PEN American Center, resumes in February with a focus on Writers in Exile. On consecutive Wednesdays, writers Wole Soyinka, Tslima Nasrin, Jack Mpange, and Wei Jingsheng will be interviewed by, respectively, Thulani Davis, Amitav Ghosh, Anthony Appiah, and Jamaica Kincaid.
A special St. Valentine's Day concert featuring classic soul divas Maxine Brown and Bettye LaVette is scheduled for Feb. 13.
Artists mastering their crafts at Columbia will also take center stage at Miller. Columbia Composers will be featured on Oct. 4, Dec. 9, and April 18, and the ever-popular Barnard Dance performances will be held Nov. 19-21 and March 4-6.
Music and dance will share the stage on Nov. 2, in a "Ceremony for Gˇdˇ." Marking the beginning of the Haitian Season of the Dead and held on All Souls' Day, the ceremony will be danced by the gifted 13-year-old Lin Deats. Modern dance meets classical ballet in the April performances of Enrico Labayen Dance/SF.
Film aficionados will be treated to panel discussions and screenings of the films of Akira Kurosawa in a series of events, presented in association with the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture, in February and March.
A concert by Marc-Andrˇ Dalbavie, heralded as one of France's greatest young composers on Dec. 3; recent chamber works by Ensemble 21 on Feb. 22; the Columbia University Interactive Arts Festival on April 5-9, and two concerts of Indian classical music (dates to be announced) are among the season's special events.
Tickets can be purchased at the Miller Theatre Box Office, phone, 854-7799.