Bard Musical Festival presents a thrilling Die tote Stadt

By Cameron Kelsall, 19 August 2019

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“Paul’s tessitura lies astonishingly high, but it proved child’s play for American tenor Clay Hilley”

Reviewed at Richard B Fisher Center for the Performing Arts: Sosnoff Theater, Annandale-on-Hudson on 18 August 2019

Korngold, Die tote Stadt (The Dead City)

SummerScape Opera

Leon Botstein, Conductor

Jordan Fein, Director

Stephan Moravski, Set Designer

Terese Wadden, Costume Designer

Mark Barton, Lighting Designer

The Orchestra Now

Bard Festival Chorale

Sara Jakubiak, Marietta

Clay Hilley, Paul

Alexander Birch Elliott, Frank, Fritz

Deborah Nansteel, Brigitta

So Young Park, Juliette

Rebecca Ringle Kamarei, Lucienne

William Ferguson, Gaston, Victorin

Richard Troxell, Graf Albert

Kirsten Harvey, Actor

Almost rescued from tyranny: Smetena's Dalibor stuns at Bard

Robert Levine, 27th July

Bedřich Smetana’s patriotic opera Dalibor is given a rare outing at Bard College, directed by Jean-Romain Vesperini and conducted by Leon Botstein.

****1

Damning with faint praise: Berlioz at Bard

Cameron Kelsall, 18th August

As part of a festival considering the composer's oeuvre, Leon Botstein leads a concert performance of La Damnation de Faust lacking in French style.

**111

The fat knight sings in Bard Festival's Sir John in Love

Cameron Kelsall, 13th August

A two-week Ralph Vaughan Williams retrospective closed with his gentle, folksy spin on Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor.

***11

Saint-Saëns rarity Henry VIII takes the crown at Bard SummerScape

Cameron Kelsall, 21st July

Conductor Leon Botstein and director Jean-Roumain Vesperini treat this Tudor soap opera with appropriate grandeur, while a top-notch cast deliver the vocal goods.

****1

Strauss' Silent Woman makes a grand noise at Bard

Robert Levine, 24th July

Bard’s always courageous Music Director, Leon Botstein, never one to shy away from a challenge, presents Strauss' comedy uncut.

****1

Das Wunder der Heliane makes long-awaited US debut

Cameron Kelsall, 28th July

Although Bard's production is only intermittently successful, the chance to hear this Korngold rarity live should be savored.

***11

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Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall is a classical music critic and cultural reporter. He has written for Bachtrack since 2019, and his byline has appeared in many national and international classical music publications. Based in Philadelphia, he regularly travels around the United States for musical events. In addition to his career in journalism, Cameron also teaches in the Theatre Arts program at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a certified sommelier and avid home cook. His favorite composer is Mahler. Twitter: @CameronPKelsall.

The dead arise: Bard Musical Festival presents a thrilling Die tote Stadt