TWELFTH ANNUAL BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL CELEBRATES CLAUDE DEBUSSY AND HIS WORLD Eleven Concert Programs, Film Screenings, and Other Special Events Explore Debussy's Role in Creating a Distinctly French Voice in Music
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.-The 12th annual Bard Music Festival, Debussy and His World, will celebrate the musical world of French composer Claude Debussy through two weekends of concerts and special events, August 10-12 and August 17-19. The festival features eleven concert programs covering a broad range of genres, including orchestral and chamber music, song repertoire, and choral music, as well as special events such as a symposium, film screenings, and panel discussions designed to bring Debussy's musical world and legacy vividly to life for concertgoers.
Programs will be organized around such topics as "French Nationalism and Music," "Cosmopolitan Paris before the War," and "The French Sacred Tradition." Featured along with Debussy's music will be works by Bizet, Gounod, Massenet, Saint-Saëns, Franck, Ravel, Stravinsky, Dukas, Chausson, Magnard, and others. Among the festival's highlights is "The Lure of the Exotic," a concert that presents three aspects of Debussy's exoticism-the Oriental, the Spanish, and the ancient Greek-through performances of music that captivated him (such as the Javanese gamelan music he heard at the Paris Universal Exposition in 1889 and the Spanish music he heard in Paris salons and cabarets), and through his observation of cultures other than his own. The Festival will also offer a performance of a seldom-heard Debussy orchestral work, Ode à la France. Works by French avant-garde filmmaker Germaine Dulac will be shown both weekends. Throughout the festival's concert programs there will be an emphasis on song literature by Debussy and his contemporaries.
As with past festivals, Princeton University Press will release a collection of essays and articles by noted scholars in conjunction with the festival. This season's volume, Debussy and His World, is edited by Jane Fulcher of Indiana University.
The Bard Music Festival, established in 1990, is an annual two-week event on Bard's scenic 600-acre campus overlooking the Hudson River and the Catskill Mountains. Recitals and chamber concerts take place in Bard's intimate, 370-seat Olin Hall and the Chapel of the Holy Innocents. Orchestra concerts are presented in an 800-seat acoustical tent on the campus. Bard College is located 90 miles north of New York City and is readily accessible by train or car.
For ticket and program information, call the box office at 845.758.3226; write to the Bard Music Festival, Bard College, PO Box 5000, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY 12504-5000; or visit the Bard Music Festival website at www.bard.edu/bmf.
Complete program details:
(Program and artists are subject to change)
Friday, August 10
PROGRAM ONE: Overview
Olin Auditorium
8:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Leon Botstein
8:30 p.m. Performance
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Ariettes oubliées
(Verlaine) (1885-1903)Dominique Labelle, soprano; Dennis Helmrich, piano
L'isle joyeuse
(1903-04)Jonathan Biss, piano
Estampes
(1903)Jonathan Biss, piano
String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10 (1893)
Colorado Quartet
Printemps
, for piano four-hands and female chorus (1887; 1904)New York Virtuoso Singers; Dennis Helmrich, piano; Karl Paulnack, piano;
James Bagwell, conductor
En blanc et noir
(1915)Jeremy Denk, piano; Jonathan Biss, piano
Saturday, August 11
PANEL ONE:
French Nationalism and Music, 1870-1900Bertelsmann Campus Center, Room 141, First Floor
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Jane Fulcher, chair, Edward Berenson, Steven Huebner, Carl Schorske
PROGRAM TWO: The French Musical Establishment of the Third Republic
Saturday, August 11, Olin Auditorium
1:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Robert Martin
1:30 p.m. Performance
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13 (1876)
Eugene Drucker, violin; Melvin Chen, piano
Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894)
Villanelle des petits canards (Gérard), from Six mélodies (1890)
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
L'orage s'est calmé, from Les pêcheurs des perles (1863)
Leon Williams, baritone; Karl Paulnack, piano
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Venise (Musset), from Six mélodies (1855)
Jules Massenet (1842-1912)
Ah, je suis seule…Dis-moi que je suis belle, from Thaïs, act 2 (1894)
Reynaldo Hahn (1875-1947)
Le printemps
Sarah Pelletier, soprano; Dennis Helmrich, piano
Edouard Lalo (1823-1892)
Au fond des halliers (Theuriet) (1887)
Sarah Pelletier, soprano; Leon Williams, baritone; Dennis Helmrich, piano
Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937)
Le moulin
Benjamin Godard (1849-1895)
Chanson arabe
Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896)
O, vin dissipe la tristesse, from Hamlet (1868)
Leon Williams, baritone; Karl Paulnack, piano
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Sonata for Oboe and Piano in D Major, Op. 166 (1921)
Laura Ahlbeck, oboe; Jeremy Denk, piano
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
La bonne chanson (Verlaine), Op. 61 (1894)
Steven Tharp, tenor; Dennis Helmrich, piano
SPECIAL SHOWING: Films by Avant-Garde French Filmmaker Germaine Dulac
4:30 p.m.
Disque 957 (1928)
Themes et Variations (1928)
Etude cinematographique sur un arabesque (1929)
La souriante Madame Beudet (1922)
PROGRAM THREE
: Debussy before PelléasSaturday, August 11, Festival Tent
7:30 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Steven Huebner
8:00 p.m. Performance
Bard Festival Orchestra; Leon Botstein, Karen and David Kates Chair, conductor
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
La damoiselle élue
(Rossetti, trans. Sarrazin) (1887-88)Sarah Pelletier, soprano; Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano; New York Virtuoso Singers,
Harold Rosenbaum, music director
Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra (1889-90)
Jonathan Biss, piano
L'enfant prodigue
(Guinand) (1884)Dominique Labelle, soprano; John Aler, tenor; François Le Roux, baritone
Sunday, August 12
PROGRAM FOUR: The French Sacred Tradition: Catholicism and Mysticism
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
James Bagwell, conductor; Christopher Creaghan, organ; New York Virtuoso Singers, Harold Rosenbaum, music director
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
From Messe à 4 voix
César Franck (1822-1890)
Pièce héroique (1878)
Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
Sanctus, from Messe solennelle No. 4 sur l'intonation de la liturgie catholique (1888)
Erik Satie (1866-1925)
Messe des pauvres (c.1893-95)
Ernest Chausson (1855-1899)
Vepres pour le commun des vierges, Op. 31
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Ave Maria
Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11 (1865)
Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Tantum ergo, Op. 2 (1886)
Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
Laudate Dominum, from Four Motets, Op. 9 (1916)
PROGRAM FIVE: The Legacy of César Franck
Sunday, August 12, Olin Auditorium
1:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Christopher Gibbs
1:30 p.m. Performance
César Franck (1822-1890)
Piano Trio No. 4 in B Minor, Op. 2 (1842)
Juliette Kang, violin; Thomas Kraines, cello; Melvin Chen, piano
Henri Duparc (1848-1933)
L'invitation au voyage (Baudelaire) (1870)
Joseph Guy Ropartz (1864-1955)
La mer
Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937)
Les marionettes
Charles Bordes (1863-1909)
Sur un vieil air (Verlaine) (1895)
Pierre de Bréville (1861-1949)
Le furet de bois jolie (J. Benedict) (1896)
Ernest Chausson (1855-1899)
Le colibri (Leconte de Lisle), Op. 2, No. 7 (1882)
John Aler, tenor; Dennis Helmrich, piano
Albéric Magnard (1864-1914)
Quintet in D Minor, Op. 8, for piano and wind instruments (1894)
Randy Bowman, flute; Laura Ahlbeck, oboe; Laura Flax, clarinet;
Marc Goldberg, bassoon; Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
Albert Roussel (1869-1937)
Prelude and Fugue, Op. 46 (1932-34)
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
Déodat de Sévérac (1872-1921)
Les naïades et le faune indiscret, for piano (1908-19)
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
Vincent d'Indy (1851-1931)
String Quartet No. 2 in E Major, Op. 45 (1897)
Laurie Smukler, violin; Juliette Kang, violin; Ira Weller, viola; Robert Martin, cello
PROGRAM SIX: Debussy's Allies and Admirers
4:30 p.m. Preconcert Talk
5:00 p.m. Performance
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Images, series 1, for piano (1901-05)
Jeremy Denk, piano
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
Villanelle, for horn (1906)
Jeffrey Lang, horn; Dennis Helmrich, piano
Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht (1880-1965)
Au jardin de l'infante
André Caplet (1878-1925)
En regardant un belles fleurs (Charles d'Orlean)
Steven Tharp, tenor; Dennis Helmrich, piano
Ernest Chausson (1855-1899)
Chanson perpétuelle (Cros), Op. 37, for soprano and piano quintet (1898)
Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano; Eric Wyrick, violin; Erica Kiesewetter, violin; Nardo Poy, viola; Jonathan Spitz, cello; Dennis Helmrich, piano
Charles Koechlin (1867-1950)
Quintet "Primavera," Op. 156, for flute, harp, violin, viola, cello (1936)
Randy Bowman, flute; Sara Cutler, harp; Eric Wyrick, violin; TBA, viola;
Jonathan Spitz, cello
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Jeux d'eau (1901)
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
Sites auriculaires
, for two pianos (1895-97)Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano; Melvin Chen, piano
Florent Schmitt (1870-1958)
Piano Quintet in B Major, Op. 51 (1902-08)
Colorado Quartet; Melvin Chen, piano
Friday, August 17
SYMPOSIUM: Literature and Painting in Fin-de-siècle Paris
Bertelsmann Campus Center, Room 141, First Floor
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Robert Martin, chair
Mark Antliff, Carol Ockman, Jerrold Seigel, Deborah Silverman, Marina van Zuylen
SPECIAL SHOWING: Films by Avant-Garde French Filmmaker Germaine Dulac
Friday, August 17, Weis Cinema, Bertelsmann Campus Center
4:30 p.m.
Disque 957 (1928)
Themes et Variations (1928)
Etude cinematographique sur un arabesque (1929)
La souriante Madame Beudet
PROGRAM SEVEN: The Lure of the Exotic
Friday, August 17, Olin Auditorium
7:00 p.m. Introduction to the Javanese Gamelan; Sam Quigley, commentator
8:00 p.m. Performance with commentary by James Parakilas
Javanese Gamelan
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut, from Images, series 2 (1907)
La terrasse des audiences du clair de lune, from Preludes, book 2 (1911-13)
Todd Crow, piano
Spain
Cuerpo bueno, alma divina
Pauline Viardot-García (1821-1920)
Havanaise
Sebastián de Yrodier (1809-1865)
Song
Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano; Dennis Helmrich, piano
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Lindaraja, for two pianos (1901)
Jean-Louis Haguenauer, piano; Todd Crow, piano
La soirée dans Grenade, from Estampes (1903)
Todd Crow, piano
Greece
La flûte de Pan, from Chanson de Bilitis (Louÿs), for voice and piano (1897-98)
Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano; Dennis Helmrich, piano
Syrinx,
for flute (1913)Danseuses de Delphes, from Preludes, book 1 (1910)
Todd Crow, piano
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, arranged for two pianos (1892-94; 1895)
Todd Crow, piano; Jean-Louis Haguenauer, piano
Saturday, August 18
PANEL TWO: Wagnerism and Symbolism
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
David Grayson, chair, Lydia Goehr, Rosemary Lloyd, Michael P. Steinberg
PROGRAM EIGHT: Cosmopolitan Paris before the War
1:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Jann Pasler
1:30 p.m. Performance
Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)
Trois Poésies de la lyrique japonaise (1912-13)
Sarah Pelletier, soprano; Bard Festival Chamber Players; Sarah Rothenberg, piano
Alfredo Casella (1883-1947)
Sonnet (Ronsard), Op. 16 (1910)
Soleils conchants (Verlaine)
François Le Roux, baritone; Sarah Rothenberg, piano
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé (1913)
François Le Roux, baritone; Bard Festival Chamber Players; Sarah Rothenberg, piano
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Trois poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé (1913)
François Le Roux, baritone; Sarah Rothenberg, piano
Enrique Granados (1867-1916)
From Goyescas, for piano (1912-14)
Compliments
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
From Pièces espagnoles, for piano (1902-08)
Cubana
Andaluza
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
From Iberia, book 4, for piano (1908)
Eritaña
Blanca Uribe, piano
Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967)
Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 4 (1909-10)
Jay Humeston, cello; Monique Duphil, piano
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)
String Quartet No. 1, Op. 5 (1912)
Juliette Kang, violin; Laurie Smukler, violin; Ira Weller, viola; Robert Martin, cello
PROGRAM NINE: Stylistic Tensions in the Middle Years: Tradition and Innovation
Saturday, August 18, Festival Tent
7:30 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Marie Rolf
8:00 p.m. Performance
Bard Festival Orchestra; Leon Botstein, Karen and David Kates Chair, conductor
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Fanfare from Le roi Lear (1904-06)
Danse sacrée et danse profane, for harp and strings (1904)
Sara Cutler, harp
Marche éccossaise sur un thème populaire (1894-6)
Jeux
(1912-13)Première rhapsodie, for clarinet and orchestra (1910-11)
Laura Flax, clarinet
Images
(1905-12)Sunday, August 19
PANEL THREE:
Debussy and Music TodayBertelsmann Campus Center, Room 141, First Floor
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Richard Wilson, chair, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, Betsy Jolas, Sarah Rothenberg
PROGRAM TEN: The War Years
Sunday, August 19, Olin Auditorium
1:00 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Jane Fulcher
1:30 p.m. Performance
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Six épigraphes antiques, for piano four-hands (1914)
Jean-Louis Haguenauer, piano; Monique Duphil, piano
Noël des enfants qui n'ont plus de maison (1915)
Sarah Pelletier, soprano; Jean-Louis Haguenauer, piano
Erik Satie (1866-1925)
Trois Mélodies (1916)
Dana Hanchard, soprano; Sarah Rothenberg, piano
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Trois Chansons, for a capella chorus (1914-15)
New York Virtuoso Singers; Harold Rosenbaum, conductor
Paul Dukas (1865-1935)
Variations, interlude et finale sur un thème de Rameau (1899-1902)
Jean-Louis Haguenauer, piano
Claude Debussy
Sonata for Cello and Piano (1915)
Bion Tsang, cello; Sarah Rothenberg, piano
Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp (1915)
Randy Bowman, flute; Nardo Poy, viola; Sara Cutler, harp
Sonata for Violin and Piano (1916-17)
Karen Gomyo, violin; Monique Duphil, piano
PROGRAM ELEVEN: The Question of French Tradition
Sunday, August 19, Festival Tent
4:30 p.m. Preconcert Talk: Roy Howat
5:00 p.m. Performance
Bard Festival Orchestra; Leon Botstein, Karen and David Kates Chair, conductor
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
La plus que lente
(1912)Berceuse héroïque (1914)
Le jet d'eau
(1907)Susan Platts, soprano
Trois ballades de Villon (1910)
Leon Williams, baritone
Khamma
(1911-12)Ode à la France (Laloy) (1917)
Dana Hanchard, soprano; New York Virtuoso Singers, Harold Rosenbaum, music director
La mer (1903-5)
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(June 13, 2001)