Kristina is a Liberal Arts major at Lewis University in Illinois and an experienced musician with a passion for historically informed performance practice. A violinist since the age of six, she plays several instruments, sings soprano, is continuing her musical education and performs at local venues.
This past Saturday night at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, opera superstars Anna Netrebko and Joseph Calleja successfully transformed an otherwise ordinary, four-star La Bohème at the Lyric into an extraordinary, five-star experience.
“Should auld acquaintance be forgot...” Each New Year’s Day, thousands of people join in traditional chorus to this hallowed strain, yet very few are aware of the origin of these beloved lyrics – the pen of Robert Burns.
“Nibble, nibble, like a mouse – who is nibbling at my house?” As a preschooler, I used to giggle with glee when I would hear this quote from the wicked witch in Hansel and Gretel. No doubt the story was dark, yet Eloise Wilkin’s delightful illustrations and the touching message of brother/sister love enticed me to return frequently to this beloved tale during nightly story time.
The human race craves comic relief... a universally accepted fact throughout the entire history of mankind. Comic books, sitcoms, comic theater... all seek to blissfully whisk us out of the doldrums and politics of today’s ever-busy society.
Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante – tour de force superstars in the world of historically-informed performance. Ever since I had first purchased their CD of Vivaldi’s L’Estro Armonico as a youngster, I have been in totally awe of the sheer brilliance of their playing. No longer were the familiar Vivaldi concertos mundane Suzuki student pieces; now they were living, breathing virtuosic showpieces.
“Love conquers all.” Too often this phrase has been repeated, yet too true this statement has proven. Rather than just being a passionate emotion in which desires of the world and flesh prevail, true love is a genuine feeling which trials or extreme evil cannot break, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
“In order to play dance pieces correctly, you must learn to dance it.” Thus spoke my recorder teacher this past Friday. A tall order, considering that Baroque dance has become a specialized and rarely-performed art inaccessible to most people.
“It’s magic!” Whether through Disney cartoons, renowned illusionists, or smartphones, visual magic continues to delight contemporary audiences. Three hundred years ago in 18th-century London, audiences were stunned by Handel’s all-new operatic extravaganza Rinaldo, which not only featured a top-notch cast, but also the latest and greatest special effects.
Orpheus and Euridice – A timeless Greek myth forever ingrained into the classical music repertoire. Since the very beginnings of operatic history, this heartbreaking and beautiful tale has endured numerous adaptions.
In our youth, my brother and I adored Cecil B. DeMille’s epic film The Ten Commandments. Not only did we like the well-written and brilliant take on the beloved biblical story of Moses, but we were also fascinated by the lavish sets and historical aspects of the film.
Two years ago, my voice teacher invited to my very first Messiah performance with the Downers Grove Choral Society, of which he was the director. During the three-hour performance, I vividly recall feeling incredibly uplifted in indescribable spiritual bliss for the whole time I spent in the seat, intensely listening to the historically-informed rendition.
“Once Upon a Time…” No doubt, this has become one of the most familiar lines of childhood. Indeed, what childhood would be complete without fairy tales and fantastical stories of knights, princesses, dragons, and talking animals? Even into adulthood, fantasy and fairy tales continue to capture the imagination of many.
"It was a dark and stormy night …." Chuckling whenever I hear these lines, I can see Charles Schultz’s beloved Snoopy staring intensely at his typewriter, vigorously typing away what he would consider his magnum opus novel.
“Who were these people? How did they think? What would it be like to experience life in their time and gain full insight into their musical minds?” These are some of the main questions I ask when doing research to aid my understanding of historically informed performance in 17th and 18th-century Baroque music.
Mozart’s Requiem – Piety, mythical murder, and mystery. Completed at the time of Mozart’s death and popularized by the 1984 movie Amadeus, this piece has since become the curiosity piece of audiences seeking the signature sensationalism of today’s state-of-the-arts media.
Ahoy there, Mateys – the gang’s all here: Pirates, lovely ladies, bumbling policemen, and a stammering Major General. Yes, my landlubbing and seafaring friends, I am speaking of Gilbert and Sullivan’s eternal classic, “The Pirates of Penzance”, which was given a delightful, fresh, and faithful take by the acclaimed New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players at College of DuPage.
When I was young, I often wondered what it would be like if an angel came down to earth. I mused that, if such an angel came, she would be a pretty, middle-aged lady with a slender figure, blonde hair, and, most importantly, a gorgeous, ethereal voice. Yesterday at the Music Institute of Chicago, I almost believed that such an angel had indeed come down from heaven when internationally-acclaimed soprano Lucy Crowe – the shining star of the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s production of Handel’s Hercules – joined Baroque Band for an enchanting, memorable evening of historically-informed Baroque performance. Guest directed by English Consort Director Harry Bicket, who masterfully led the Lyric orchestra in Hercules, this concert proved the ultimate encore for both Bicket and Crowe following their operatic triumph at the Lyric.
Ancient Greek superheroes – irresistible. Half god, half man, incredible deeds leave Perseus, Theseus, and of course Hercules enough to rival Superman, Spiderman, and The Incredible Hulk. Small wonder then why these demigods and precursor of the modern comic book superhero have captivated the hearts and minds of many of the world’s greatest writers, dramatists and composers.
Until the last decade or so, becoming involved in the historically-informed performance practice (HIPP) movement – which involves performing on instruments of a composer’s historical period – was not so “hip.
“There was love all around / But I never heard it singing / No, I never heard it at all / Till there was you!” I vividly recall when I first heard Shirley Jones sing these touching, heartfelt lines on the beloved motion picture version of Meredith Wilson’s “The Music Man”, when both the devious Professor Harold Hill and the stingy spinster Marion Paroo discover the true meaning of love.
