Press Release for The Bawdy Bard
Word file: PR. The Bawdy Bard. Sept 2011
LYRIC FEST
Suzanne DuPlantis, Randi Marrazzo, Laura Ward
Co-Founding Artistic Directors
1013 Westview St., 3rd Fl., Philadelphia, PA 19119 www.LyricFest.org
Media Contact:
Inna Heasley, 215.280.4824, inna@lyricfest.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 30, 2011
The Bawdy Bard ~ Ballads, Madrigals and Poetry from 12th to 21st Century
Lyric Fest and Choral Arts Philadelphia Open Season with New Collaboration
PHILADELPHIA, PA: On September 23rd and 25th, 2011, Lyric Fest presents The Bawdy Bard in collaboration with Choral Arts Philadelphia and its artistic director Matthew Glandorf. The program explores nearly 500 early years of song and troubadour verse: from Bernard de Venterdorn and Beowulf to Purcell and Shakespeare, featuring rarely heard songs from Medieval, Renaissance and early Baroque periods, and reviving a modern composition, inspired by the Medieval music.
Friday, September 23 @ 8 PM
The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill
8855 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia 19118
Sunday, September 25 @ 3 PM
The Academy of Vocal Arts
1920 Spruce Street, Philadelphia 19103
With Artists: Soloists Leslie Johnson, Maren Montalbano, Steven Bradshaw, Colin Dill, joined by Choral Arts Philadelphia, with conductor and Music Director Matthew Glandorf, Gwyn Roberts, recorder, Mark Rimple, lute, Eve Miller, viola da gamba, and actor Jim Bergwall as the Traveling Bard.
Tickets and Information: General $25, Students $5. Early Bird $20 (before September 21st). Tickets and information at www.LyricFest.org, 215-438-1702, and sold at the door.
The Bawdy Bard program is a lighthearted theatrical presentation of medieval and renaissance song and poetry. Featuring solo and ensemble works by Marcabru (1130-1150), Bernard de Ventedorn (c.1130 – c.1190), Beatriz de Dia (a female troubadour, c.1140 – c.1212), Josquin (c.1450 – 1521), Nicolas Gombert (1495 – c. 1560), Clément Janequin (1485-1558), Henry Purcell (1659-1695) and more. Jim Bergwall, narrator, joins the musical cast as a Traveling Bard recounting the poetic stories of knights, troubadours, shepherds and shepherdesses.
“With The Bawdy Bard, Lyric Fest gives a nod to the origins of what we have been promoting in Philadelphia for the past nine years: the art of the Song and Story,” says co-founding artistic director Suzanne DuPlantis.”When the subject comes to love (which there will be a lot of in this program), you will notice the truth of the old adage ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same.’ You’ll be amazed to recognize yourself in these songs and poems that are 1000 years old – sans the sheep and the lutes and the armor, of course”.
“Matthew Glandorf, artistic director of Choral Arts Philadelphia and the Bach Festival, seemed to us like a natural choice for this program,” comments co-founding artistic director Randi Marrazzo. “With early music being his specialty and true passion, Glandorf is also a skillful story-teller of his own theme-oriented programs.”
“Our concept here is to look at the art of the common song from Medieval times through Renaissance and early Baroque, with addition of a Medieval-inspired modern work,” explains Matthew Glandorf. “Throughout the program, we will explore an abundance of themes: budding of romance, seduction, nature, pain of lost love. And, for good measure, we add Purcell’s drinking songs from the 17th century, and end the program with the triumph of love in three songs by Giovanni Giacomo Gastoldi, an Italian composer of the late Renaissance.”
Also on the bill, a revival performance of Mark Rimple’s song Nouveau Chanson des Oiseaux, originally commissioned in 2003 for Glandorf’s choral ensemble In Clara Voce.Inspired by and set to an anonymous medieval poem, Rimple’s song is a companion juxtaposition to Janequin’s Le chants des Oiseaux, (c. 1520), an imitation of a bird call, for soloists and full ensemble.
“Humanity has been expressing feelings through song for a very, very long time. We all fall in love, all get hurt, we all admire the wonder of nature and we all can have a good laugh,” Glandorf says. “All these eternal themes can be found in this music. The Bawdy Bard program is a perfect opportunity to get introduced to the art song of different periods and see where our favorite modern music and the singer-songwriter culture came from.”
Lyric Fest is announcing The Academy of Vocal Arts’ Helen Corning Warden Theater as its new concert venue in Center City Philadelphia for the 2011-12 season. Its close proximity to the former residence at First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia allows Lyric Fest to continue to serve this important community.
About Lyric Fest:
Lyric Fest was founded in 2003 by three distinguished Philadelphia-area musicians: mezzo-soprano Suzanne DuPlantis, soprano Randi Marrazzo, and pianist Laura Ward. Lyric Fest is the only performing organization in the Metropolitan Philadelphia dedicated exclusively to the voice recital. Seeking to revitalize and expand the song tradition, Lyric Fest invites regional and internationally recognized artists, who together produce unique and educational programming, built around compelling themes and presented in an intimate setting. Find out more at www.LyricFest.org.
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