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The Musical Circle of John Singer Sargent |
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Saturday, September 24, 2011 – 8:00pm
Sunday, September 25, 2011 – 3:00pm
"Had he chosen to become a musician, he would have risen to eminence in one way or the other, in our Art." This was said by the composer Charles Loeffler of arguably the finest portrait painter of the late nineteenth/early twentieth century, the very cosmopolitan American artist, John Singer Sargent.
An accomplished pianist himself, Sargent often punctuated his studio sessions by playing the music of some of the composers who became friends and confidantes, throughout his prolific career. Brahms, Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, Charles Loeffler and Percy Grainger were all artistic intimates of Sargent's, who used his personal wealth and position in High Society, especially in England and later in New England, to inspire their music and advance their careers.
This WordStage presentation is derived from Sargent's own recollections of his life and work and observations of his musical colleagues which trace the development of an artistic mutual admiration society among its members. The text is derived from these sources as well as letter and recorded conversations between him and one of his most vocal and influential advocates – the outrageous Boston socialite and Patron of the Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner.
Their words will be read by actors Deborah Magid and Tim Tavcar. Musical Selections from the above mentioned composers which both underscore and enhance the spoken words will be performed by the Cleveland Institute of Music based Mauthé String Quartet. |
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An Edgar Allan Poe Spooktacular! |
CLICK HERE FOR TICKET INFORMATION |
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Saturday, October 29, 2011 – 8:00pm
“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.”
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
Edgar Allan Poe was best known to his own generation as an editor and critic. His poems and short stories commanded only a small audience. But to some extent in his poems, and to an impressive degree in his tales, he pioneered in opening up areas of human experience for artistic treatment at which his contemporaries only hinted. Poe's classic poem "The Raven" cemented his reputation as a black-feathered literary master of the macabre. His vision asserts that reality for the human being is essentially subterranean, contradictory to surface reality, and profoundly irrational in character. Two generations later he was hailed by the Symbolist movement, particularly in France through the translation of his works by the poet Stéphane Mallarmé, as the prophet of the modern sensibility.
This WordStage presentation will feature some of Poe's most memorable Tales & Poems, including The Conqueror Worm, The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart and, of course, The Raven, read by actors Michael Mauldin, Christine Sell and Tim Tavcar.
Poe's phantasmagoric poetry and prose will be underscored and enhanced by properly eerie and atmospheric Pipe Organ Music, played on the West Shore Universalist Church's 1963, 3 manual 33 rank Holtkamp organ played by Akron Organist, Accompanist of the Akron Symphony Orchestra Chorus and Music Director of the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, Richard Shirey. |
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MY DEAR BOY – Gay Love letters through the Centuries |
Thursday, Friday and Saturday
January 5, 6 & 7 – 7:00 PM
Presented at Cleveland Public Theater's James Levin Theater as part of CPT's Big Box Series.
Developed from love letters written by prominent men throughout history from Marcus Aurelius to Allen Ginsberg, My Dear Boy expresses universal themes of human emotion and amorous relationships. The letters are a treasure trove of literary styles written with incredible emotional resonance; by turns heartfelt, hilarious, sexy, angry, intoxicating and above all, written with love.
Underscoring and enhancing these texts will be music of notable gay composers throughout history as well as the introduction of elements of movement and visual projections.
My Dear Boy is performed on a Double Bill with Amy Compton's solo, multi-disciplinary meditation about the aspects of love: THE DREAMER.
Cleveland Public Theater is located at:
6415 Detroit Road • Cleveland, Ohio
For information call 216.631.2727 or log on to: www.cptonline.org.
General Admission tickets are $15 with a $2 discount for students and seniors. |
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