MARK AUERBACH
Martha Graham: Classic Modern Dance Pioneer
The Martha Graham Dance Company, one of the oldest and most celebrated contemporary dance companies on the planet, visits the UMass Fine Arts Center for one performance on November 18.
Graham, the venerated choreographer and dancer, drew her groundbreaking style from the elemental movements of contraction and release, leading to a sharp, raw and dramatic style of contemporary dance. Nearly nine decades later, the company she founded continues to perform pioneering new works, as well as classic Graham favorites. The repertoire will include renowned Graham classics and one new work that premiered in March 2014. The newly commissioned work, “Echo” by choreographer Adonis Foniadakis, is based on the themes of love, vanity and reflection in the myth of Narcissus and Echo. The Company will also perform “Diversion of Angels”, Graham’s exploration of love danced by three couples, followed by “Lamentation Variations”, a 2007 work created by several choreographers reacting to an early 1940s film of Graham’s iconic solo, “Lamentation”. Also in the repertoire will be “Errand into the Maze”, Graham’s reimagining (a heroine instead of a hero) of the mythic battle between Theseus and the Minotaur in the labyrinth.
Described by The Washington Post as “one of the seven wonders of the artistic universe,” and by The New York Times as “one of the great companies of the world,” the Martha Graham Dance Company has created a style and energy that is uniquely its own. Iconic masterpieces such as “Appalachian Spring”,”The Rite of Spring”, and “Clytemnestra” are rooted in social, political, psychological and sensual contexts, expanding the vocabulary of contemporary dance. During her long and illustrious career, Graham created 181 dance compositions, influencing generations of choreographers from Paul Taylor to Twyla Tharp. During the Bicentennial she was granted the United States’ highest civilian honor, The Medal of Freedom, and in 1998 was named “Dancer of the Century” by TIME Magazine.
For tickets: 413-545-2511, 800-999-UMASS, or www.fineartscenter.com.
Alissa Leiser, Longmeadow Chamber Music Society
Longmeadow Chamber Music Society 32nd Season
The Longmeadow Chamber Music launches its 2014-15 season on November 21, with an evening of music showcasing piano and strings. According to co-founder Dr. William Harbison, the upcoming season will include four concerts instead of three, all at the First Church on the Longmeadow Green. Two concerts will feature alumni of the Longmeadow High School Music Department.
Drs. Harbison and Thomas Rowland, and their families, all musicians, founded the group as a non-profit in 1983.
According to Dr. Harbison, “We started the Longmeadow Chamber Music Society to promote chamber music for the residents of the Pioneer Valley, performed by professional Pioneer Valley musicians. We have produced over 100 concerts covering a broad base of classical and contemporary chamber music, and hosted a Chamber Music Competition for High School Students”.
Over the years, added Dr. Harbison, they’ve showcased the finest local musicians from the Springfield Symphony (where Harbison’s wife, Marsha, is Assistant Concert Mistress and violinist) and the music departments of area colleges and universities. The Longmeadow Chamber Music Society performs music of all periods. They commissioned a piece composed by Hilary Purrington (Longmeadow High School class of 2009) to honor recently-retired music teacher Michael Mucci. That work will be performed on April 10 with the Novus Trombone Quartet. Springfield Dymphony Orchestra Maestro Kevin Rhodes has also performed with the group.
For the first concert, Alissa Leiser, piano forte professor at Amherst College, will perform in the Mozart Piano Concerto and the Brahms Piano Quintet. Leiser’s performances include Alice Tully Hall, the Ravinia Festival, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago. Her orchestral appearances have included the New Jersey Symphony, the New Orchestra of Boston and Orchestra New England. She has been heard on several radio and television broadcasts such as WQXR, WFUV and WAMC in New York. Her CD entitled Sounds of America with flutist Adrianne Greenbaum, was featured on National Public Radio as part of the Presidential Inauguration celebration in 1992.
For tickets and information: http://www.longmeadowcms.org/
Doug Evans, playwright
Of Note
Spring at the Willowbrook Inn, a play by former Bushnell CEO Douglas Evans and Jonathan Van Dyke, gets an “Industry Only Reading” in New York City on November 19-20, the next step towards a hopeful Broadway run. A winner at the Indiana Playwrights Festival, and a winner at New York City’s 2012 Fresh Fruit Festival, “Spring at the Willowbrook Inn” will star Greg Louganis, Sean McDermott, Jason Patrick Sands, and Justin Lore. Scott Wojcik directs.
Plan Ahead
Goodspeed Musicals has announced its 2015 season. The legendary “Guys and Dolls” and “La Cage Aux Folles” are joined by a new musicalization of the hit TV series “The Honeymooners”. Series tickets are now on sale (Hint: holiday gifts). For information: 860-873-8668 or www.goodspeed.org.
Hal Holbrook as Mark Twain
Hal Holbrook first transformed himself into Samuel Clemens 60 years ago. The Tony and Emmy Award winner and Academy Award nominee returns to Hartford to celebrate his 90th birthday with a performance of the legendary “Mark Twain Tonight” to benefit the Mark Twain House and Museum. The festivities take place on February 17 at The Bushnell. Veteran theatregoers may remember seeing a young Hal Holbrook onstage at the Mountain Park Playhouse in Holyoke around the time he created “Mark Twain Tonight”. Tickets are now on sale at 860-987-5900 or www.bushnell.org.
Keep in Mind…
***Danny and The Deep Blue Sea, John Patrick Shanley’s explosive 1983 drama, gets a West Hartford production at Playhouse on Park. Two damaged souls try to build a meaningful relationship in Shanley’s provocative wor staged by Sean Harris. Performances through November 16. For tickets: 860-523-5900, ext. 10 or www.playhouseonpark.org
Mark G. Auerbach studied theatre at American University and the Yale School of Drama. He’s worked for arts organizations and reported on theatre for newspapers and radio.
