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Sunday Morning, January 10, 2010, at 11:00
Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts
Sasha Cooke, Mezzo-soprano (Lincoln Center recital debut) Ken Noda, Piano ROSSINI La regata veneziana (c.1857–68) Anzoleta avanti la regata Anzoleta co passa la regata Anzoleta dopo la regata
MOZART Deh per questo istante solo, from La clemenza di Tito (1791) SCHUMANN Liederkreis, Op. 39 (1840) In der Fremde Intermezzo Waldesgespräch Die Stille Mondnacht Schöne Fremde Auf einer Burg In der Fremde Wehmut Zwielicht Im Walde Frühlingsnacht
BERNSTEIN What a Movie, from Trouble in Tahiti (1951) This morning’s program is approximately one hour long and will be performed without intermission. Please join the artists for a cup of coffee following the performance.
This performance is made possible in part by the Josie Robertson Fund for Lincoln Center.
Yamaha Piano Walter Reade Theater
Please make certain your cellular phone, pager, or watch alarm is switched off.
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Lincoln Center Support for Great Performers 2009/2010 is provided by Suzie and Bruce Kovner, Rita E. and Gustave M. Hauser, The Florence Gould Foundation, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Inc., Altria Group, Inc., Philip Morris International, The Shubert Foundation, Robert and Anne Essner, Mitsubishi International Corporation, The Winston Foundation, EMC2, Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, Great Performers Circle, Chairman’s Council, and Friends of Lincoln Center. Public support is provided by the New York State Council on the Arts. Corporate support is provided by BNY Mellon. Endowment support is provided by the American Express Cultural Preservation Fund. Endowment support is provided by UBS. Movado is an Official Sponsor of Lincoln Center, Inc. WNBC/WNJU are Official Broadcast Partners of Lincoln Center, Inc. Continental Airlines is the Official Airline of Lincoln Center, Inc. MetLife is the National Sponsor of Lincoln Center, Inc.
Upcoming Sunday Morning Coffee Concerts in the Walter Reade Theater: Sunday Morning, January 31, 2010, at 11:00 Fauré Quartet MAHLER: Piano Quartet in A minor BRAHMS: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 Sunday Morning, February 21, 2010, at 11:00 David Greilsammer, Piano Program to include works by RAMEAU, LIGETI, MOZART, SATIE, MONTEVERDI, JANÁCˇEK, SCARLATTI, and JOHN ADAMS Sunday Morning, March 14, 2010, at 11:00 Leon McCawley, Piano BARBER: Nocturne (Homage to John Field), Op. 33 CHOPIN: Sonata in B-flat minor, Op. 35 CHOPIN: Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 1 BARBER: Sonata, Op. 26 Sunday Morning, April 18, 2010, at 11:00 Moscow String Quartet BORODIN: String Quartet No. 2 in D major SHOSTAKOVICH: String Quartet No. 4 in D major, Op. 83 For tickets, call CENTERCHARGE at (212) 721-6500 or visit LincolnCenter.org. Call the Lincoln Center Info Request Line at (212) 875-5766 to learn about program cancellations or request a Great Performers brochure. Visit LCGreatPerformers.org to view essays, interviews, and other information relating to this season’s programs.
We would like to remind you that the sound of coughing and rustling paper might distract the performers and your fellow audience members. In consideration of the performing artists and members of the audience, those who must leave before the end of the performance are asked to do so between pieces, not during the performance. The taking of photographs and the use of recording equipment are not allowed in the building.
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Notes on the Program by Kathryn L. Libin
La regata veneziana (c.1857–68) GIOACHINO ROSSINI Born February 29, 1792, in Pesaro Died November 13, 1868, in Passy Approximate length: 8 minutes
During the last ten years of Rossini’s life, from 1858 until his death in November 1868, his home at No. 2, rue de la Chaussée d’Antin in Paris became celebrated for its organized Saturday soirées to which the cream of Parisian society flocked. After the premiere of Rossini’s last great opera, Guillaume Tell, in 1829, the composer lived in semi-retirement, nursing a complex of serious health problems and composing rarely. But by 1858, in better health and spirits, Rossini began to compose again and to entertain a steady flow of visitors. For his Saturday evening concerts he and his wife would send out engraved invitations, which became much sought after; the finest pianists and singers of the era appeared here, and most of the works performed were Rossini’s own.
The creative work of Rossini’s last ten years comprises some 158 pieces, sorted into collections of 14 albums and jealously guarded by his wife; Rossini himself, who never intended to publish them, referred to them as his Péchés de vieillesse (“Sins of Old Age”) and frequently played them for friends and at his Saturday evenings. Many of the Péchés are humorous, satirical, or eccentric; some are small-scale experiments in harmony or form; quite a few are sentimental in nature. While most are vocal pieces, some are for piano or other instruments. The first volume, an Album italiano, contains a set of three canzonettas, called La regata veneziana, on texts in Venetian dialect by the great librettist Francesco Maria Piave. In this little song cycle Rossini unfolds a simple narrative of a Venetian girl, Anzoleta, caught up in a gondola race in which her lover, Momolo, is a competitor. Much of the drama is embedded in the piano part, with its rocking rhythmic motion and, during the race itself in the second song, the anxiously murmuring chords in the right hand. The third song reflects the glories and rewards of victory in a ravishing waltz.
La regata veneziana Text: Francesco Maria Piave
The Venetian Regatta Trans.: Paolo Montanari
Anzoleta avanti la regata Là su la machina xe la bandiera, Varda, la vendistu, vala a ciapar. Co quela tornime in qua sta sera, O pur a sconderte ti pol andar.
Anzoleta Before the Regatta Over there the flag is flying, look, can you see it? Go for it! Come back with it tonight or else you can run away and hide.
In pope, Momolo, no te incantar.
Once in the boat, Momolo, don’t gawp!
Va, voga d’anema la gondoleta, Né il primo premio te pol mancar. Va là, recordite la to Anzoleta Che da sto pergolo te sta a vardar.
Row the gondola with heart and soul, then you cannot help but win first prize. Go, think of your Anzoleta, who’s watching you from this balcony.
In pope, Momolo, no te incantar. In pope, Momolo, cori a svolar!
Once in the boat, Momolo, don’t gawp! Once in the boat, Momolo, fly! (Please do not turn the page until the completion of the song.)
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Lincoln Center Anzoleta co passa la regata I xe qua, vardeli, Povereli i ghe da drento, Ah contrario tira el vento, I gha l’acqua in so favor.
Anzoleta When the Regatta Passes They’re coming, look at them, the poor things! They row hard! Ah, the wind is against them, but the tide is running their way.
El mio Momolo dov’elo? Ah lo vedo, el xe secondo. Ah! Che smania! Me confondo, A tremar me sento el cuor.
My Momolo, where is he? Ah! I see him, he’s the second, ah! I’m in a fidget! I get confused, I feel my heart trembling.
Su, coragio, voga, voga, Prima d’esser al paleto Se ti voghi, ghe scometo, Tutti indrio ti lassarà.
Come on, row! Row! Before you reach the pole, if you keep on rowing, I’ll lay a bet you’ll leave all the others behind.
Caro, caro, par che el svola, El li magna tuti quanti Meza barca l’è andà avanti, Ah capisso, el m’a vardà.
Dear boy, he seems to be flying, he’s beating the others hollow, he’s gone half a length ahead, ah, I understand: he looked at me.
Anzoleta dopo la regata Ciapa un baso, un altro ancora, Caro Momolo, de cuor; Qua destrachite che xe ora De sugarte sto sudor.
Anzoleta After the Regatta Have a kiss! Another one! Dear Momolo, from my heart; rest here, for it’s high time to dry this sweat.
Ah t’o visto co passando Su mi l’ocio ti a butà E go dito respirando: Un bel premio el ciaparà,
Ah, I saw you when, as passing, you threw a glance at me and I said, breathing again: he’s going to win a good prize,
Sì, un bel premio in sta bandiera, Che xe rossa de color; Gha parlà Venezia intiera, La t’a dito vincitor.
indeed, the prize of this flag, that is the red one; the whole of Venice spoke: she declared you the winner.
Ciapa un baso, benedeto, A vogar nissun te pol, De casada de tragheto Ti xe el megio barcarol.
Have a kiss, God bless you! No one rows better than you, of all the breeds of gondoliers you’re the best.
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Lincoln Center Deh per questo istante solo, from La clemenza di Tito (1791) WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Born January 27, 1756, in Salzburg Died December 5, 1791, in Vienna Approximate length: 7 minutes
In the 18th century, an age of absolute monarchies and expanding empires, that operas portraying the benevolent exercise of power by wise rulers should have flourished must come as no surprise. Pietro Metastasio’s 1734 libretto, La clemenza di Tito, was one among dozens of operatic plots that extolled the virtues of benevolent rule, and was set to music by over 40 different composers before Mozart eventually encountered it. In writing his modern drama, Metastasio reached back to the days of the Roman Empire and based his story on the career of Titus Flavius Vespasianus, an emperor who reigned from 79 to 81 A.D. Mozart’s setting of the libretto was intended as homage to a noble ruler, Leopold II, who had just ascended the
throne. Ceremonies that would crown Leopold as king of Bohemia were scheduled for September 1791 in Prague, and the Bohemian aristocracy commissioned a new opera based on Metastasio’s Tito. On the morning of Tuesday, September 6, the coronation ceremony itself finally took place in a service at St. Vitus Cathedral, on Prague’s castle hill. That evening Mozart’s new opera was unveiled before the emperor and an audience of distinguished guests. The role of Sesto, the rebellious subject who would put Tito’s famed clemency to the test, was originally sung by a well known soprano castrato, Domenico Bedini. In this pivotal scene in Act II, Sesto’s earlier conspiracy against his ruler has been revealed and he finds himself unable to justify his treachery. In a rondo that begins at adagio tempo and gathers force in a soaring allegro, Sesto reminds Tito of their past friendship and discloses the grief and guilt that torment him. It is this powerful musical outburst that ultimately persuades Tito to pardon the traitor.
Deh per questo istante solo Text: Caterino Mazzola
Ah, for This Moment Only Trans.: Brad Suverkrop
Deh per questo istante solo Ti ricorda il primo amor. Che morir mi fa di duolo Il tuo sdegno, il tuo rigor. Di pietade indegno, è vero, Sol spirar io deggio orror. Pur saresti men severo, Se vedessi questo cor.
Ah, for this moment only, remember the affection we once felt, for it causes me to die of sorrow, your disdain and firmness. It is true I am unworthy of mercy, and that the sight of me must inspire horror, yet you would be less severe, if you could see this heart.
Disperato vado a morte; Ma il morir non mi spaventa. Il pensiero mi tormenta Che fui teco un traditor! (Tanto affanno soffre un core, Nè si more di dolor!)
Desperate I go to death but dying does not frighten me. The thought that torments me is that I have betrayed you. (Ah, that a heart can suffer such anguish and not die from the pain.) (Please do not turn the page until the completion of the song.)
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Lincoln Center Liederkreis, Op. 39 (1840) ROBERT SCHUMANN Born June 8, 1810, in Zwickau, Saxony Died July 29, 1856, in Endenich, near Bonn
The year 1840 has often been referred to as the “year of song” in Robert Schumann’s life. Most of 1839 had been spent in an atmosphere of turmoil and crisis, as Schumann and his fiancée, pianist Clara Wieck, battled the legal obstacles with which her father sought to prevent their marriage. But a new year dawned with hope for the lovers, and Schumann sought an expressive outlet in the lyricism of poetry and music; beginning with the Liederkreis by Heine, Op. 24, and Myrthen, Op. 25, he composed dozens of his greatest songs in this period, including his song cycle on poems by Eichendorff, his Dichterliebe, and the Frauenliebe und -leben. As he wrote to Clara, “I should like to sing myself to death like a nightingale.”
Joseph von Eichendorff, born in Upper Silesia in 1788, was one of an older generation of Romantic poets whose verses, unlike those of his contemporary Goethe, had not easily lent themselves to musical setting before Schumann. But Schumann was drawn to the images of nature and the Romantic soul-searching and isolation in Eichendorff’s poetry; most of the verses used in the Liederkreis, Op. 39, derive from Eichendorff’s novel Presentiment and Present. The opening song, “In der Fremde,” sets a tone of loneliness and alienation that will recur throughout the cycle. The famous song “Waldesgespräch” conjures up the world of German legend; its abandoned bride and Rhineland castle are evoked again in the haunting song “Auf einer Burg.” A few of the songs, such as “Die Stille” and “Wehmut,” employ a quasi-folk song style matching the artless words. “Mondnacht,” near the heart of the cycle, is among the most lyrical and nocturne-like of the songs, while “Frühlingsnacht” brings the cycle to a close with joyous fervor.
Liederkreis, Op. 39 Text: Joseph von Eichendorff
Song Cycle, Op. 39 Trans.: Emily Ezust
In der Fremde Aus der Heimat hinter den Blitzen rot Da kommen die Wolken her, Aber Vater und Mutter sind lange tot, Es kennt mich dort keiner mehr.
In a Foreign Land From the direction of home, behind the red flashes of lightning there come clouds, but Father and Mother are long dead; no one there knows me anymore.
Wie bald, ach wie bald kommt die stille Zeit, Da ruhe ich auch, und über mir Rauscht die schöne Waldeinsamkeit, Und keiner kennt mich mehr hier.
How soon, ah, how soon will that quiet time come, when I too shall rest, and over me the beautiful forest’s loneliness shall rustle, and no one here shall know me anymore.
Approximate length: 27 minutes
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Lincoln Center Intermezzo Dein Bildnis wunderselig Hab ich im Herzensgrund, Das sieht so frisch und fröhlich Mich an zu jeder Stund’.
Intermezzo Your blissful, wonderful image I have in my heart’s depths; it looks so freshly and joyously at me in every moment.
Mein Herz still in sich singet Ein altes schönes Lied, Das in die Luft sich schwinget Und zu dir eilig zieht.
My heart sings mutely to itself an old, beautiful song that soars into the air and hastens to your side.
Waldesgespräch Es ist schon spät, es ist schon kalt, Was reitest du einsam durch den Wald. Der Wald ist lang, du bist allein, Du schöne Braut! Ich führ dich heim!
Conversation in the Woods It is already late, it is already cold; why do you ride alone through the wood? The wood is vast and you are alone, you fair bride! I will lead you home.
“Groß ist der Männer Trug und List, Vor Schmerz mein Herz gebrochen ist, Wohl irrt das Waldhorn her und hin, O flieh! Du weißt nicht, wer ich bin.”
“Great are the deceit and cunning of men; my heart has broken for pain. The forest horn strays here and there, O flee! You do not know who I am.”
So reich geschmückt ist Roß und Weib, So wunderschön der junge Leib, Jetzt kenn ich dich—Gott steht mir bei! Du bist die Hexe Lorelei.
So richly decked are mount and lady, so wondrously fair the young form; now I recognize you—God stand by me! You are the Witch Loreley.
“Du kennst mich wohl—vom hohen Stein Schaut still mein Schloß tief in den Rhein. Es ist schon spät, es ist schon kalt, Kommst nimmermehr aus diesem Wald.”
“You recognize me well—from the lofty cliffs my castle gazes down into the Rhine. It is already late, it is already cold— you shall never again leave this wood.”
Die Stille Es weiß und rät es doch keiner, Wie mir so wohl ist, so wohl! Ach, wüßt es nur einer, nur einer, Kein Mensch es sonst wissen soll.
Silence No one knows or guesses how glad I am, so glad! Alas, if only one could know it, just one— no other soul should know it!
So still ist’s nicht draußen im Schnee, So stumm und verschwiegen sind Die Sterne nicht in der Höh, Als meine Gedanken sind.
The snow outside is not so quiet— nor as mute and silent are the lofty stars, compared to my thoughts.
Ich wünscht’, ich wäre ein Vöglein Und zöge über das Meer, Wohl über das Meer und weiter, Bis daß ich im Himmel wär!
I wish I were a little bird— I would fly over the sea, well across the sea and farther, until I were in heaven. (Please do not turn the page until the completion of the song.)
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Lincoln Center Mondnacht Es war, als hätt’ der Himmel, Die Erde still geküßt, Daß sie im Blütenschimmer Von ihm nun träumen müßt.
Moonlit Night It was as if the sky had quietly kissed the earth, so that in a shower of blossoms she must only dream of him.
Die Luft ging durch die Felder, Die Ähren wogten sacht, Es rauschten leis die Wälder, So sternklar war die Nacht.
The breeze wafted through the fields, the ears of corn waved gently, the forests rustled faintly, So sparkling clear was the night.
Und meine Seele spannte Weit ihre Flügel aus, Flog durch die stillen Lande, Als flöge sie nach Haus.
And my soul stretched its wings out far, flew through the still lands, as if it were flying home.
Schöne Fremde Es rauschen die Wipfel und schauern, Als machten zu dieser Stund Um die halbversunkenen Mauern Die alten Götter die Rund.
Beautiful Foreign Land The treetops rustle and shiver as if at this hour about the half-sunken walls the old gods are making their rounds.
Hier hinter den Myrtenbäumen In heimlich dämmernder Pracht, Was sprichst du wirr wie in Träumen Zu mir, phantastische Nacht?
Here, behind the myrtle trees, in secretly darkening splendor, what do you murmur, as if in a dream, to me, fantastic night?
Es funkeln auf mich alle Sterne Mit glühendem Liebesblick, Es redet trunken die Ferne Wie vom künftigem, großem Glück.
The stars glitter down on me with glowing, loving gazes, and the distance speaks tipsily, it seems, of great future happiness.
Auf einer Burg Eingeschlafen auf der Lauer Oben ist der alte Ritter; Drüber gehen Regenschauer, Und der Wald rauscht durch das Gitter.
In a Castle Asleep on his watch up there is the old knight; above move rainshowers, and the wood rustles through the grill.
Eingewachsen Bart und Haare Und versteinert Brust und Krause, Sitzt er viele hundert Jahre Oben in der stillen Klause.
Beard and hair grown into one, chest and ruff have turned to stone; he sits for many hundreds of years above in his silent den.
Draußen ist es still und friedlich, Alle sind ins Tal gezogen, Waldesvögel einsam singen In den leeren Fensterbogen.
Outside it is quiet and peaceful: all have taken to the valley; woodbirds sing alone in the empty arching windows.
Eine Hochzeit fährt da unten Auf dem Rhein im Sonnenscheine, Musikanten spielen munter, Und die schöne Braut, sie weinet.
A wedding passes by below on the Rhine, in the sunlight: musicians play gaily and the fair bride—she weeps.
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Lincoln Center In der Fremde Ich hör’ die Bächlein rauschen Im Walde her und hin. Im Walde, in dem Rauschen, Ich weiß nicht, wo ich bin.
In a Foreign Land I hear the brooklets rushing here and there in the wood. In the wood, amidst the rushing, I know not where I am.
Die Nachtigallen schlagen Hier in der Einsamkeit, Als wollten sie was sagen Von der alten, schönen Zeit.
The nightingales sing here in the solitude, as if they wanted to speak of fine old times.
Die Mondesschimmer fliegen, Als säh ich unter mir Das Schloß im Tale liegen, Und ist doch so weit von hier!
The moonbeams dart and I seem to see below me a castle lying in the valley— yet it is so far from here!
Als müßte in dem Garten, Voll Rosen weiß und rot, Meine Liebste auf mich warten, Und ist doch lange tot.
It seems as if, in the garden full of roses white and red, my sweetheart were waiting for me— yet she is long since dead.
Wehmut Ich kann wohl manchmal singen, Als ob ich fröhlich sei, Doch heimlich Tränen dringen, Da wird das Herz mir frei.
Sadness Sometimes I can sing as if I were happy, but secretly tears well up and free my heart.
Es lassen Nachtigallen, Spielt draußen Frühlingsluft, Der Sehnsucht Lied erschallen Aus ihres Kerkers Gruft.
The nightingales, when spring breezes play, let their songs of yearning resound from the depths of their dungeons.
Da lauschen alle Herzen, Und alles ist erfreut, Doch keiner fühlt die Schmerzen, Im Lied das tiefe Leid.
Then all hearts listen and everyone rejoices; yet no one truly feels the anguish of the song’s deep sorrow.
(Please do not turn the page until the completion of the song.)
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Lincoln Center Zwielicht Dämmrung will die Flügel spreiten, Schaurig rühren sich die Bäume, Wolken ziehn wie schwere Träume— Was will dieses Graun bedeuten?
Twilight Dusk prepares to spread its wings, the trees rustle ominously, clouds approach like heavy dreams— what does this horror mean?
Hast ein Reh du lieb vor andern, Laß es nicht alleine grasen, Jäger ziehn im Wald und blasen, Stimmen hin und wieder wandern.
If you have a favorite fawn, don’t let it graze alone; hunters roam the forest, sounding their horns, their voices straying time and again.
Hast du einen Freund hienieden, Trau ihm nicht zu dieser Stunde, Freundlich wohl mit Aug’ und Munde, Sinnt er Krieg im tück’schen Frieden.
If you have a friend on earth, do not trust him in this hour; friendly might he seem in eye and mouth, yet he plans for war in deceitful peace.
Was heut gehet müde unter, Hebt sich morgen neu geboren. Manches geht in Nacht verloren— Hüte dich, sei wach und munter!
What today goes wearily down, will lift itself tomorrow newly born. Much goes astray at night—beware— be alert and wide awake!
Im Walde Es zog eine Hochzeit den Berg entlang,
In the Forest Beside the mountain there passed a wedding party. I heard the birds singing; then there blazed past many horsemen, their forest horns sounding. That was a merry hunt!
Ich hörte die Vögel schlagen, Da blitzten viel Reiter, das Waldhorn klang, Das war ein lustiges Jagen! Und eh’ ich’s gedacht, war alles verhallt, Die Nacht bedecket die Runde, Nur von den Bergen noch rauschet der Wald Und mich schauert’s im Herzensgrunde.
And before I could think about it, everything had died away and the night threw a cloak all around. Only from the mountains did the woods yet rustle, and deep in my heart I shudder.
Frühlingsnacht Über’n Garten durch die Lüfte Hört’ ich Wandervögel ziehn, Das bedeutet Frühlingsdüfte, Unten fängt’s schon an zu blüh’n.
Spring Night Above the garden and across the sky I heard migrating birds passing; that meant that spring was in the air; below, things are already beginning to bloom.
Jauchzen möcht’ ich, möchte weinen, Ist mir’s doch, als könnt’s nicht sein! Alte Wunder wieder scheinen Mit dem Mondesglanz herein.
I could rejoice, I could weep— I feel as though it cannot be! Old wonders appear again with the moonlight.
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Und der Mond, die Sterne sagen’s, Und im Träumen rauscht’s der Hain, Und die Nachtigallen schlagen’s: Sie ist deine! Sie ist dein!
And the moon and stars say it, and in a dream the grove murmurs it, and the nightingales sing it: She is yours! She is yours!
What a Movie, from Trouble in Tahiti (1951) LEONARD BERNSTEIN Born August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts Died October 14, 1990, in New York
while a student at Harvard, Bernstein composed a one-act chamber opera in 1951 titled Trouble in Tahiti; its premiere took place at Brandeis University on June 12, 1952, with Bernstein conducting.
Approximate length: 8 minutes
Leonard Bernstein grew up in Boston, where he attended Harvard and first began composing, with the influence and encouragement of Aaron Copland as well as his formal teachers. Later he studied piano and conducting at the Curtis Institute, and in 1942 became assistant to Serge Koussevitzky at Tanglewood. In 1944, three important successes laid the groundwork for the facets of his future career as a composer: the premiere of his “Jeremiah” Symphony, the opening of his ballet (with choreographer Jerome Robbins) Fancy Free, and his Broadway debut with On the Town. He produced a stream of important theater works in the 1950s, including his most enduringly popular pieces, Candide and West Side Story. Inspired by composer Marc Blitzstein, whose agitprop opera The Cradle Will Rock Bernstein had conducted
Trouble in Tahiti combines satirical social commentary with sharp parodies of popular and commercial music. But it also shows a more serious and tender side in its portrayal of the unhappy central characters, Sam and Dinah, whom Bernstein—who wrote the libretto himself—modeled on his own parents. The couple, though apparently living the post-war suburban “American Dream,” are isolated from one another and disenchanted with their marriage. In the song “What a Movie” Dinah describes in mocking detail a terrible movie she has seen called Trouble in Tahiti. But as the song unfolds, mirroring Dinah’s emotions as it veers sharply from dissonance to lyricism, she gets swept up in the romantic innocence of the movie’s narrative. In the end, Trouble in Tahiti provides the image of happiness that will substitute for true reconciliation. —Copyright © 2010 by Kathryn K. Libin
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Lincoln Center What a Movie! Text: Leonard Bernstein What a movie! What a terrible, awful movie! It’s a crime what they put on the screen! I can hardly believe what I’ve seen! Do they think we’re a lot of children? It would bore any four year old! What drivel! What nonsense! What escapist Technicolor twaddle! “Trouble in Tahiti,” indeed! “Trouble in Tahiti,” imagine! There she is in her inch or two of sarong Floating, floating, floating, all among the floating flowers. Then she sees him, the handsome American. (I must say he’s really a man, Six feet tall, and each foot just incredible!) Well, they’re madly in love, But there’s trouble ahead; There’s a legend: “If a princess marry white man, and rain fall that day, Then the white man shall be sacrifice without delay.” Sure enough, on the night of their wedding day, There’s a storm like nothing on earth; Tidal waves and siroccos and hurricanes; And to top it all off, The volcano erupts As the natives sing: Ah! Ah! Ah! Olé! They go crazy with the drumming and the chanting and ritual dance, While the lovers sing a ballad of South Seas romance. It’s so lovely, I wish I could think of it; Da da dee da da… It was called “Island Magic,” I think it was. Oh, a beautiful song! I remember it now: “Island Magic, where the midnight breezes caress us, And the stars above seem to bless us, That’s Island Magic, Island Magic.” Well, in any case, the hero is tied to a tree. (Did I tell you he’s a flyer who got lost at sea?) Anyway, all the natives are crazy now,
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Lincoln Center Running wild with lances and knives; Then they pile up the wood for the sacrifice, And the witch doctor comes, And he sets it on fire. As the natives sing: Ah! Ah! Ah! Olé! But at this point, comes the good old U.S. Navy, A-singin’ a song. They come swarming down in parachutes a thousand strong! Everything now is cleared up and wonderful: Everyone is happy as pie; And they all do a great rumba version of “Island Magic” of course! It’s a dazzling sight; With the sleek brown native women dancing with the U.S. Navy boys, And a hundred-piece symphony orchestra: “Island Magic!! Where the palm trees whisper together, And it’s always warm summer weather, That’s Island Magic, Island Magic! With the one I love very near; Island Magic, Whispering native words in my ear. Island Magic, Only you, my darling, could weave it, And I never ever will leave it, And I simply cannot believe It really is mine! Island Magic! Island Ma…” What a terrible, awful movie!!! How long have I been standing here chattering? If I don’t get going this minute, there won’t be any dinner When Sam comes home!
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Lincoln Center
Meet the Artists Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater and at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall.
Sasha Cooke Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke has been acclaimed for her opera performances, as soloist with orchestra, as well as in song recitals. Her 2009–10 season includes concerts for the Marilyn Horne Foundation in New York, at SummerFest in La Jolla, with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, with New York Festival of Song, and at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. She debuts with the symphony orchestras of Milwaukee, Colorado, Seattle, Modesto, Kansas City, San Diego, and Chicago. Also this season she sings the role of Meg in Falstaff with the Seattle Opera. Last season Ms. Cooke sang the role of Kitty Oppenheimer in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of John Adams’ Doctor Atomic, which she later performed with the English National Opera in her European debut. She sang Handel’s Messiah with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and with the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall, and Bernstein’s Opening Prayer with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop. Ms. Cooke was presented by Young Concert Artists at Lincoln Center in Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s under Giancarlo Guerrero and participated in the 2008 Marlboro Chamber Music Festival in Vermont. As a winner of the 2007 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, Ms. Cooke holds the Lindemann Vocal Chair of YCA. Later that year, she gave two debut recitals in the Young Concert Artists series at the
Ms. Cooke received her bachelor’s degree from Rice University and her master’s degree from The Juilliard School, where she was a frequently heard in premieres by the New Juilliard Ensemble. Ms. Cooke has also attended Music Academy of the West, the Aspen Music Festival, the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Institute, and Central City Opera’s Young Artists Training Program. Ms. Cooke is a graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program of the Metropolitan Opera.
Ken Noda Ken Noda is musical assistant to James Levine on the artistic administration of the Metropolitan Opera. He began working there in 1991 after he retired from a fulltime performing career as a concert pianist. Born to Japanese parents in October 1962, he studied with Daniel Barenboim and performed as soloist with such orchestras as the Berlin, Vienna, New York, Israel, and Los Angeles philharmonics; the London, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Montreal, and National symphony orchestras; and the Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, and Philharmonia Orchestra of London; under such conductors as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Riccardo Chailly, Rafael Kubelik, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, and André Previn. He has also collaborated as chamber musician with Levine (at two pianos), Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Cho-Liang Lin, Nigel Kennedy,
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Lincoln Center and the Emerson String Quartet, and as accompanist to Kathleen Battle, Hildegard Behrens, Maria Ewing, Aprile Millo, Kurt Moll, Jessye Norman, Dawn Upshaw, and Deborah Voigt. Since 1999, he has been a participant every summer at the Marlboro Music Festival and also teaches at the Renata Scotto Opera Academy at the invitation of Miss Scotto. At the Met, he devotes much of his time to the training of young singers in the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and also gives master classes at Juilliard and Yale.
Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Initiated in 1965, Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series offers approximately 100 classical and contemporary music performances annually. One of the largest music presentation series in the world, Great Performers runs from October through June with offerings in Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Walter Reade Theater, Clark Studio Theater, Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, and other various performance spaces throughout New York City, including the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola and John Jay College Theater. In 2005, Great Performers expanded to include presentations in the Rose Theater and The Allen Room at the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. The world’s outstanding symphony orchestras, vocalists, chamber ensembles, and recitalists are featured in Great Performers, as well as special reper-
toire-focused festivals, themed series, and educational activities. During the 1998–99 season, Great Performers added a new dimension to the classical music experience through its New Visions series. In productions specially commissioned by Lincoln Center, New Visions offers innovative stage presentations and groundbreaking collaborations among the world’s leading directors, choreographers, and classical performers.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) serves three primary roles: presenter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. As a presenter of more than 400 events annually, LCPA’s series include American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, and the Mostly Mozart Festival. The Emmy Award– winning Live From Lincoln Center extends Lincoln Center’s reach to millions of Americans nationwide. As a leader in arts and education and community relations, LCPA takes a wide range of activities beyond its halls through the Lincoln Center Institute, as well as offering arts-related symposia, family programming, and accessibility. And as manager of the Lincoln Center campus, LCPA provides support and services for the Lincoln Center complex and its 11 other resident organizations.
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Lincoln Center LINCOLN CENTER PROGRAMMING DEPARTMENT Jane Moss, Vice President, Programming Hanako Yamaguchi, Director, Music Programming Jon Nakagawa, Director, Contemporary Programming Lisa Takemoto, Production Manager Bill Bragin, Director, Public Programming Kate Monaghan, Associate Director, Programming Charles Cermele, Producer, Contemporary Programming Melanie Armer, Associate Producer, Contemporary Programming Jill Sternheimer, Associate Producer, Public Programming Andrea Murray, Production Coordinator Sheya Meierdierks-Lehman, House Program Coordinator Kimberly DeFilippi, Assistant to the Vice President Yukiko Shishikura, Programming Associate
FOR THE WALTER READE THEATER Gregory Wolfe, Stage Manager Ms. Cooke’s representation: Young Concert Artists, Inc. 250 West 57th Street, Suite 1222 New York, New York 10107
