It's sometimes easy to forget that opera has a playful side, given its preponderance for serious and downright dark subject matter. Indulging that lighter side comes in handy for introducing young people to it in a manner that is both accessible and, dare I say, "fun" (in other words, maybe not Wagner or Britten). Tobias Picker's Fantastic Mr. Fox, based on the Roald Dahl story, is a worthy candidate for such an endeavor.
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It’s taken Tobias Picker’s second opera more than twenty years to make it to CD, but here it is at last in all its charm and considerable glory. Over the years, Fantastic Mr. Fox has expanded and contracted according to resources available; the original LA Opera staging with Gerald Finley (sporting the title character's whiskers) was sizable, but a seven-instrument reduction has been a hit at London's Opera Holland Park.
The title of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s Saturday concert at Jordan Hall, “Klezmer Madness,” accurately represented half of its program. That portion consisted of two recent concertos for clarinet and orchestra that were audibly steeped in klezmer, the folk music of Eastern European Jews. Both pieces also featured the outstanding klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer, an ideal guide to the contemporary state of klezmer, who brought their solo parts thrillingly to life in performance.
BOSTON MODERN ORCHESTRA PROJECT: ‘KLEZMER MADNESS’ Klezmer clarinet maven David Krakauer is the special guest for a characteristically adventurous BMOP program that includes Mathew Rosenblum’s clarinet concerto entitled “Lament/Witches’ Sabbath” as well as Wlad Marhulets’s Concerto for Klezmer Clarinet under the direction of conductor Gil Rose.
Not for the casual listener, but those with a taste for the adventurous might give this unusual disc a try. BMOP is recognised as the USA’s foremost label launched by an orchestra and devoted exclusively to new music. Black Noise is performed by the enterprising musicians of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) and led by conductor Gil Rose.
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Mr. Rose, Ms. Budd and the players made a passionate, high-energy case for [Child Alice]. They also used it to put a double bar on their 20th-anniversary season, and to underscore their stature as one of this country's finest new-music ensembles."
- Allan Kozinn, The Wall Street Journal
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), affiliate orchestra for new music at New England Conservatory, will join NEC in sponsoring a concerto competition for works written after 1964.
Provisions: The competition will be held in late January in Jordan Hall. The competition will consist of one round.
Eligibility: The competition is open to any full-time NEC student, instrumental or vocal, who will be returning in the 2014/2015 academic year.
When: Friday, May 16 @ 8:00 p.m. (free pre-concert talk @ 7:00 p.m.)
Where: Jordan Hall (30 Gainsborough Street), Boston, T: Symphony/Mass Ave.
Tickets: General $20 - $50/Students $10. To reserve seats now, contact BMOP at bmop.org or 781.324.0396. Starting April 18, tickets are also available through the Jordan Hall Box Office at 617.585.1260, in person, or at tix.com.
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), affiliate orchestra for new music at New England Conservatory, will join NEC in sponsoring the 2014 Concerto Competition for works written after 1963.
Provisions: The competition will be held on January 21, 2014, from 11am to 1pm in room 124 of the Jordan Hall building. The competition will consist of one round.
Eligibility: The competition is open to any full-time NEC student, instrumental or vocal, who is enrolled for the 2013/2014 academic year.
For immediate release: March 29, 2013
• Degree Bestowed at Boston Modern Orchestra Project Concert, April 14
• Performances by [nec] shivaree, BMOP
• Knussen Will Give Lecture, Work with NEC composition Students in Two Masterclasses