Bard SummerScape 2019, “Korngold and His World” (June 29–Aug 18), Opens Next Saturday

Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y. – The curtain rises on the 2019 Bard SummerScape festival next Saturday, June 29, ushering in seven weeks of music, opera, theater, dance, film, and cabaret. At the heart of these offerings is the 30th anniversary season of the Bard Music Festival, “Korngold and His World.” This intensive examination of the life and times of Erich Wolfgang Korngold – the Viennese prodigy whose lush Romanticism came to define the quintessential Hollywood sound – features twelve themed concerts and panel discussions (Aug 9–11; Aug 16–18), together with a film series exploring “Korngold and the Poetry of Cinema” (July 25–Aug 18), and the long overdue American premiere of The Miracle of Heliane, the grand opera that the composer considered his masterpiece, in a fully staged new production by German director Christian Räth (July 26–Aug 2). To complement these offerings, Daniel Fish’s acclaimed staging of Michael Gordon’s Acquanetta provides an alternative look at Hollywood’s Golden Age (July 11–21); Evidence, A Dance Company makes its festival debut with the world premiere of Grace and Mercy, a new SummerScape commission from choreographer and company founder Ronald K. Brown, with live music from Meshell Ndegeocello, Peven Everett, and others (July 5–7); and cabaret and jazz highlight a generous program of events in Bard’s authentic and sensationally popular Belgian Spiegeltent (June 29–Aug 17). All SummerScape offerings take place in the striking Frank Gehry-designed Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts and other venues on Bard College’s idyllic Hudson River campus. Tickets are now on sale; click here for more information, and here to download high-resolution photos.

What critics are saying about Bard SummerScape…
“Seven weeks of cultural delight.” (International Herald Tribune)
“A highbrow hotbed of culture.” (Huffington Post)
“The smartest mix of events within driving distance of New York.” (Bloomberg News)
“Leon Botstein’s Bard SummerScape and Bard Music Festival always unearth piles of buried treasure.” (New Yorker)
“One of the best lineups of the summer for fans of any arts discipline.” (New York Sun)
“One of the great artistic treasure chests of the tri-state area and the country.” (GALO magazine)
“One of the New York area’s great seasonal escapes.” (American Record Guide)
“A haven for important operas.” (New York Times)
“An indispensable part of the summer operatic landscape.” (Musical America)
“Botstein and Bard SummerScape show courage, foresight and great imagination, honoring operas that larger institutions are content to ignore.” (Time Out New York)
“A spectacular venue for innovative fare.” (Travel and Leisure magazine)
“It’s hard not to find something to like, and it’s even harder to beat the setting.” (New York Post)
“The experience of entering the Fisher Center and encountering something totally new is unforgettable and enriching.” (Time Out New York)

…and about the Bard Music Festival
“The summer’s most stimulating music festival.” (Los Angeles Times)
“It has long been one of the most intellectually stimulating of all American summer festivals and frequently is one of the most musically satisfying.” (Wall Street Journal)
“Part boot camp for the brain, part spa for the spirit.” (New York Times)
“A highlight of the musical year.” (Wall Street Journal)
“The most intellectually ambitious of America’s summer music festivals.” (Times Literary Supplement, London)
“One of the ‘Ten Can’t-Miss Classical Music Festivals.’” (NPR Music)
“A two-weekend musicological intensive doubling as a sumptuous smorgasbord of concerts.” (New York Times)
“An always intrepid New York event.” (Time Out New York)
“Nothing quite compares to the fascinating summer programs popping out of Leon Botstein’s brain.” (Bloomberg News)
“One of New York’s premier summer destinations for adventurous music lovers.” (New York Times)

Past seasons at Bard SummerScape

2018: Rimsky-Korsakov and His World
2017: Chopin and His World
2016: Puccini and His World
2015: Chávez and His World
2014: Schubert and His World
2013: Stravinsky and His World
2012: Saint-Saëns and His World
2011: Sibelius and His World
2010: Berg and His World
2009: Wagner and His World
2008: Prokofiev and His World
2007: Elgar and His World
2006: Liszt and His World
2005: Copland and His World
2004: Shostakovich and His World
2003: Janáček and His World
2002: Debussy and His World
2001: Mahler and His World
2000: Beethoven and His World
1999: Schoenberg and His World
1998: Tchaikovsky and His World
1997: Haydn and His World
1996: Ives and His World
1995: Bartók and His World
1994: Schumann and His World
1993: Dvořák and His World
1992: Richard Strauss and His World
1991: Mendelssohn and His World
1990: Brahms and His World

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SummerScape 2019: key performance dates by genre

MUSIC
Bard Music Festival, Weekend One: Korngold and Vienna (August 9–11)
Bard Music Festival, Weekend Two: Korngold in America (August 16–18)

DANCE
Ronald K. Brown/Evidence: Grace and Mercy
Original music for Mercy written and performed by Meshell Ndegeocello
Music from Grace performed live by Peven Everett and others
World Premiere/SummerScape commission
Sosnoff Theater
July 5* & 6 at 8pm
July 7* at 2pm
Tickets: $25 to $95

Opening Night Reception for Members: Thursday, July 5
Post-Performance Conversation: Friday, July 6
Pre-Performance Conversation: Sunday, July 7 at 1pm

THEATER
Acquanetta
Music by Michael Gordon
Libretto by Deborah Artman
Directed by Daniel Fish
Conducted by David Bloom
Produced by Beth Morrison Projects
LUMA Theater
July 11, 12*, 18, 19 & 20 at 8pm
July 13, 14*, 17, 20 & 21 at 2pm
Tickets: $25 to $75

Opening Night Reception for Members: Friday, July 12
Pre-Performance Conversation: Sunday, July 14 at 1pm
Post-Performance Conversation: Wednesday, July 17 

FILM SERIES
“Korngold and the Poetry of Cinema”
Ottaway Film Center
July 25: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Max Reinhardt & William Dieterle, 1935, USA)
July 28: Captain Blood (Michael Curtiz, 1935, USA); The Sea Hawk (Curtiz, 1940)
August 1 at 7pm: The Ancient Law (E.A. Dupont, 1923, Germany)
August 4 at 7pm: Letter from an Unknown Woman (Max Ophuls, 1948)
August 8 at 7pm: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (John Huston, 1948, USA)
August 11 at 7pm: The Man Who Knew Too Much (Alfred Hitchcock, 1956, USA)
August 15 at 7pm: The Sea Wolf (Michael Curtiz, 1941, USA); King’s Row (Sam Wood, 1942, USA)
August 18 at 7pm: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968, USA)
Tickets: $10

OPERA
Erich Wolfgang Korngold: The Miracle of Heliane (“Das Wunder der Heliane”)
American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein
Directed by Christian Räth
Sosnoff Theater
July 26* at 7:30pm
July 28* & 31; August 4* at 2pm
August 2* at 4pm
Tickets: $25 to $125

Opening Night Reception for Members Friday, July 26
Opera Talk with Leon Botstein Sunday, July 28 at noon

SPIEGELTENT
June 29–August 17
Live Music, Cabaret, Festival Dining, and After Hours salon
Dates, times, and ticket prices vary

* The Bard SummerScape coach from Manhattan is available for these performances.

 

Program details of Bard Music Festival, “Korngold and His World”

WEEKEND ONE: Korngold and Vienna

Friday, August 9

2019 BARD FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT DINNER
Spiegeltent
5pm
Tickets include a pre-performance dinner in the Spiegeltent and a premium seat for the evening’s concert. (NB: The Spiegeltent will be closed for regular dining on the evening of the dinner.) 

PROGRAM ONE*
Erich Wolfgang Korngold: From Viennese Prodigy to Hollywood Master
Sosnoff Theater
7:30pm Preconcert Talk: Leon Botstein
8pm Performance: Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano; Nicholas Canellakis, cello; Piers Lane, piano; Parker Quartet; Erica Petrocelli, soprano; Bard Festival Chorale, James Bagwell, choral director; The Orchestra Now, conducted by Leon Botstein

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
From Der Schneemann (1908–9)
Piano Quintet in E, Op. 15 (1921–22)
Overture to The Sea Hawk (1940)
   The Passover Psalm, Op. 30 (1941)
Tomorrow, Op. 33 (1944)
Cello Concerto in C, Op. 37 (1946)
Songs

Tickets: $25–$75

Saturday, August 10

PANEL ONE
Korngold and the Phenomenon of the Child Prodigy
Olin Hall
10am–noon

Panel discussion: Christopher H. Gibbs, moderator; Leon Botstein; Jessica Duchen; Michael Haas

Free and open to the public

PROGRAM TWO
Teachers, Admirers, and Influences
Olin Auditorium
1pm Preconcert Talk: David Brodbeck
1:30pm Performance: Jonathon Comfort, baritone; Elaine Daiber, soprano; Kayo Iwama, piano; Piers Lane, piano; Parker Quartet and guests

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
From Sieben Märchenbilder, Op. 3 (1910)
Passacaglia, from Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor (1908–9)
Sextet in D, Op. 10 (1914–16)
Max Reger (1873–1916)
Clarinet Quintet in A, Op. 146 (1915–16)
Hans Gál (1890–1987)
From Three Sketches, Op. 7 (1910)
Songs by Robert Fuchs (1847–1927); Alma Mahler (1879–1964); Joseph Marx (1882–1964);
Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871–1942); Wilhelm Kienzl (1857–1941); and Karl Weigl (1881–1949)

Tickets: $25­–$55

PROGRAM THREE
The Orchestral Imagination
Sosnoff Theater
7pm Preconcert Talk: Christopher Hailey
8pm Performance: Erica Petrocelli, soprano; Michael J. Hawk, baritone; Orion Weiss, piano; American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein, music director

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
Piano Concerto in C-sharp, for the left hand, Op. 17 (1923)
Julius Bittner (1874–1939)
Prelude to Der Musikant (1909)
Franz Schreker (1878–1934)
Vom ewigen Leben (1923/1927) (Whitman)
Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871–1942)
   Lyric Symphony, Op. 18 (1922–23)

Tickets: $25–$75

Sunday, August 11

PROGRAM FOUR
Popular Music from the Cabarets, Taverns, and Salons of Korngold’s Vienna
Olin Hall
10am Performance with commentary by Derek Scott; with So Young Park, soprano; Joshua Wheeker, tenor; and others

Popular and street songs and songs from film and stage by Johann Strauss II (1825–99); Leon Jessel (1871–1942); Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951); Robert Stolz (1880–1975); Ralph Benatzky (1884–1957); Friedrich Hollaender (1896–1976); Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957); Ernst Krenek (1900–91); and others

Tickets: $25–$55

PROGRAM FIVE
Before the Reich: Korngold and Fellow Conservatives
Olin Hall
1pm Preconcert Talk: Kevin C. Karnes
1:30pm Performance: Danny Driver, piano; Tyler Duncan, baritone; Horszowski Trio and guests; Erika Switzer, piano; and others

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
Much Ado About Nothing Suite, Op. 11 (1918–19)
Suite, for two violins, cello, and piano left hand, Op. 23 (1930)
Franz Schmidt (1874–1939)
Toccata, for piano left hand (1938)
Walter Braunfels (1882–1954)
From 14 Preludes, Op. 33 (1921)
Josef Labor (1842–1924)
Piano Quintet in D, Op. 11 (1900)
Ernst von Dohnányi (1877–1960)
Pastorale on a Hungarian Christmas Tune, for piano solo (1920)
Songs by Othmar Schoeck (1886–1957)

Tickets: $25–$55

PROGRAM SIX*
Operetta’s America
Sosnoff Theater
4:30pm Preconcert Talk: Micaela Baranello
5pm Performance: Tyler Duncan, baritone; Rebecca Ringle Kamarei, mezzo-soprano; So Young Park, soprano; Joshua Wheeker, tenor; members of the Bard Festival Chorale, James Bagwell, choral director; The Orchestra Now, conducted by Zachary Schwartzman

Selections from
Leo Fall (1873–1925)/ Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957), Rosen aus Florida (1929)
Leo Fall/Jerome Kern (1885–1945), The Dollar Princess (1909)
Oscar Straus (1870–1954), Hochzeit in Hollywood (1929)
Emmerich Kálmán (1882–1953), Die Herzogin von Chicago (1928)
Paul Abraham (1892–1960), Die Blume von Hawaii (1931)
Bruno Granichstaedten (1879–1944), Reklame! (1930); and others

Tickets: $25–$75

WEEKEND TWO: Korngold in America

Friday, August 16
SPECIAL SCREENING
LUMA Theater
3pm

The Constant Nymph (1943)
Directed by Edmund Goulding
With Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine, Alexis Smith, and others
Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
Panel discussion to follow the film screening

Free and open to the public

PROGRAM SEVEN
Robin Hood and Beyond
Sosnoff Theater
7:30pm Preconcert Talk: Daniel Goldmark
8pm Orchestral Performance: The Orchestra Now, conducted by James Bagwell

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
Excerpts from The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), with screened film excerpts
Max Steiner (1888–1971)
Suite from Casablanca (1943)
Franz Waxman (1906–67)
Suite from Rebecca (1940)
Bernard Herrmann (1911–75)
Suite from Vertigo (1958)
Works by Dimitri Tiomkin (1894–1979) and Alfred Newman (1901–70)

Tickets: $25–$75

Saturday, August 17

PANEL TWO
Out of Hollywood: Sound Film and the 20th Century
Olin Hall
10am–noon

Panel discussion: Daniel Goldmark, moderator; Julie Hubbert; Neil Lerner; Jeff Smith

Free and open to the public

PROGRAM EIGHT
Classics in Hollywood: Film Composers in the Concert Hall
Olin Hall
1pm Preconcert Talk: Byron Adams
1:30pm Performance: Tyler Duncan, baritone; Arnaud Sussmann, violin; Danny Driver, piano; Erika Switzer, piano; Orion Weiss, piano; Jasper String Quartet and guest

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
Piano Sonata No. 3 in C, Op. 25 (1930)
Four Shakespeare Songs, Op. 31 (1937–41)
Alexandre Tansman (1897–1986)
From 24 Intermezzi (1940–41)
George Antheil (1900–1959)
Toccata No. 2 for solo piano (1948)
Bernard Herrmann (1911–75)
   Souvenirs de Voyage (1967)
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895–1968)
Serenatella on the Name of Jascha Heifetz, Op. 170, No. 2 (1954)
Miklós Rózsa (1907–95)
String Quartet No. 1, Op. 22 (1950)
Songs by Richard Hageman (1881–1966)

Tickets: $25–$55

PROGRAM NINE*
Art during and after the Catastrophe
Sosnoff Theater
7pm Preconcert Talk: Christopher H. Gibbs
8pm Performance: Marjorie Owens, soprano; Bard Festival Chorale, James Bagwell, choral director; American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein, music director

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
Symphony in F-sharp, Op. 40 (1949–52)
Paul Hindemith (1895–1963)
Symphonia Serena (1946)
Richard Strauss (1864–1949)
Four Last Songs (1948)

Tickets: $25–$75

Sunday, August 18

PROGRAM TEN
The American Musical on Stage and Screen
Olin Hall
10am Performance with commentary by Daniel Goldmark, with vocalists Joan Ellison and Chris Vettel and pianists Shane Schag and Chun-Wei Kang

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
From Give Us This Night (1936)
Works by Jerome Kern (1885–1945); Cole Porter (1891–1964); George Gershwin (1898–1937); Kay Swift (1897–1993); Kurt Weill (1900–50); Richard Rodgers (1902–79); Vernon Duke (1903–69); Harold Arlen (1905–86); Marc Blitzstein (1905–64); Leonard Bernstein (1918–90); and others

Tickets: $25–$55

PROGRAM ELEVEN
Hollywood Babylon: No Escape
Olin Hall
1pm Preconcert Talk: Richard Wilson
1:30pm Performance: Tyler Duncan, baritone; Jasper String Quartet; So Young Park, soprano; Rebecca Ringle Kamarei, mezzo-soprano; Anna Polonsky, piano; Erika Switzer, piano; Joshua Wheeker, tenor; Orion Weiss, piano

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957)
Narrenlieder, Op. 29 (1937)
String Quartet No. 3 in D, Op. 34 (1945)
Sonett für Wien, Op. 41 (1953)
From Die Kathrin, Op. 28 (1939)
Hanns Eisler (1898–1962)
From the Hollywood Songbook (1942)
Ernst Toch (1887–1964)
From Profiles, for piano, Op. 68 (1948)
Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951)
Fantasy, for violin and piano, Op. 47 (1949)
Erich Zeisl (1905–59)
   Komm süsser Tod (1938)

Tickets: $25–$55

PROGRAM TWELVE*
Die tote Stadt
Sosnoff Theater
4pm Preconcert Talk: Sherry Lee
5pm Performance: Allison Oakes, soprano; Clay Hilley, tenor; Alexander Elliott, baritone; Deborah Nansteel, mezzo-soprano; members of the Bard Festival Chorale, James Bagwell, choral director; The Orchestra Now, conducted by Leon Botstein, music director; directed by Jordan Fein; set design by Stephan Moravski; lighting design by Mark Barton; and others

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
Die tote Stadt, Op. 12 (1920)

Tickets: $25–$75

 

Bard SummerScape ticket information

Tickets for all Bard SummerScape events are now on sale. For tickets and further information on all SummerScape events, call the Fisher Center box office at 845-758-7900 or visit fishercenter.bard.edu/summerscape.

Venues:
SummerScape opera, theater, and dance performances and most Bard Music Festival programs are held in the Sosnoff Theater or LUMA Theater in Bard’s Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, designed by Frank Gehry and celebrated since its opening as a major architectural landmark in the region. Some chamber programs and other BMF events are in Olin Auditorium, and the Spiegeltent has its own schedule of events, in addition to serving as a restaurant, café, and bar before and after performances. Film Series screenings are at the Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center in the Milton and Sally Avery Arts Center.

New York City Round-Trip Coach Transportation:
To make a reservation on the round-trip SummerScape coach provided exclusively to ticket holders for specific performances indicated by * in the listings above, call the box office at 845-758-7900 or select this option when purchasing tickets. The round-trip fare is $40 and reservations are required. The coach departs from behind Lincoln Center, on Amsterdam Avenue between 64th and 65th Streets. Find additional details at: fishercenter.bard.edu/visit/transportation.

Full Schedule:
For a complete schedule of SummerScape and Bard Music Festival events (subject to change), follow the links given below. Updates are posted at the festival web site fishercenter.bard.edu/summerscape.

Fisher Center members receive priority access to the best seats in advance, and those who join the Center’s email list receive advance booking opportunities as well as regular news and updates.

Bard SummerScape: fishercenter.bard.edu/summerscape

Bard Music Festival: fishercenter.bard.edu/bmf

Tickets and Subscriptions: fishercenter.bard.edu/boxoffice; or by phone at 845-758-7900. Tickets to all mainstage events start at $25.

Subscription Offers:

Create Your Own Series:
Save 25% and enjoy maximum flexibility, by choosing four or more events.

SummerScape Mainstage Package:
Save 30% and guarantee seats for dance, theater, and opera events.

Dining Packages:
Out-of-Town Package:
Save $30 on a mainstage ticket, roundtrip bus from New York City, and three-course meal.
Night Out Package:
Save $20 on a mainstage ticket (selected performances only) and three-course meal.

Updates: Bard’s “e-subscribers” get all the news in regular updates. Click here to sign up, or send an e-mail to [email protected].

All programs are subject to change.

The 2019 SummerScape season is made possible in part through the generous support of Jeanne Donovan Fisher, the Martin and Toni Sosnoff Foundation, the Board of The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, the Board of the Bard Music Festival, and Fisher Center members, as well as grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

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© 21C Media Group, June 2019