The Easily Satisfied Lover
A creation of International Street Cannibals (Dan Barrett, founder/director), soprano Ariadne Greif and director Gray Palmer
An evening of vocal works from the period of early modernism, which reframes male narratives of romance through the voice and sensibility of a 21st century woman. Central to the evening is the performance of Arnold Schoenberg’s monodrama, Pierrot Lunaire, op. 21 (1912) – a fantastical setting of 21 poems by Belgian symbolist poet Albert Giraud and freely translated in German by Otto Erich Hartleben. The concert features conducting by maestro Christopher Lyndon-Gee; film footage by Swiss-Japanese filmmaker Caroline Mariko Stucky, especially created for this performance; and technical direction and stage management by Tyler Learned.
“Pierrot is sometimes a fictional storybook character, sometimes a deeply relatable caricature, and sometimes a real person the narrator seems to know or identify with,” says Greif. “With this Pierrot Lunaire, we want to reframe these antiquated male narratives of love as child-sized fables, but with a wider perspective.” Combining an early silent movie aesthetic with a childlike sensibility, Caroline Mariko Stucky’s film features surreal, moonlit, and non-narrative tableaux that continuously play with the notion of scale, while mimicking the symbolic landscapes and panoramas of the text.
With Ariadne Greif, soprano; Christopher Lyndon-Gee, conductor; Jessica Jade Han, flute/piccolo; Sammy Lesnick, clarinet/bass clarinet; Anna Tsukervanik, violin/viola; Dan Barrett, cello; Nara Avetisyan, piano
PROGRAM:
Arnold Schoenberg "Galathea” (1901) from Brettl-Lieder, no. 7; text by Frank Wedekind “Der genügsame Liebhaber” (1901) from Brettl-Lieder, no. 1; text by Hugo Salus
Ariadne Greif, soprano; Nara Avetisyan, piano
Alban Berg
“Lied der Lulu” from Act 2 of Lulu (1929–1935); arr. by Jonathan Keren; text adapted by the composer from plays of Frank Wedekind
Ariadne Greif, soprano; Christopher Lyndon-Gee, conductor
Ensemble: Jessica Jade Han, flute/piccolo; Sammy Lesnick, clarinet/bass clarinet; Anna Tsukervanik, violin/viola; Dan Barrett, cello; Nara Avetisyan, piano
Casimir Oberfeld
“La Femme est faite pour l’homme” (1934); text by René Pujol & Charles Louis Pothier
Ariadne Greif, soprano; Nara Avetisyan, piano
Arnold Schoenberg
Pierrot Lunaire (“Three times Seven Poems from Albert Giraud's Pierrot lunaire”), trans. by Otto Erich Hartleben
Ariadne Greif, soprano; Christopher Lyndon-Gee, conductor
Ensemble: Jessica Jade Han, flute/piccolo; Sammy Lesnick, clarinet/bass clarinet; Anna Tsukervanik, violin/viola; Dan Barrett, cello; Nara Avetisyan, piano
Film by Caroline Mariko Stucky
Sholom Secunda
“Bei Mir Bistu Shein” (1932); text by Jacob Jacobs
Ariadne Greif, soprano; Nara Avetisyan, piano
St Mark’s Church is located at 131 East 10th Street, New York City.
Tickets are $20. General Admission/$15 for seniors, students & children at door.