“REMARKABLE…A WORLD-CLASS PRODUCTION — WITH CARE, PASSION AND ATTENTION TO EVERY DETAIL”
Matt Costello, OperaWire.Com, 2019
Bard SummerScape
2 hours
39 minutes
Choreography by Catherine Galasso
A dark mystery play, an intimate psychodrama, and an epic dystopian political thriller all at once. First performed in the U.S. almost 100 years after its world premiere in Hamburg, this lushly orchestrated allegorical tale was staged by Christian Räth in 2019. Performed by a remarkable cast and the 80-member American Symphony Orchestra, this staging was a stellar example of Maestro Botstein’s commitment to reintroduce rarely seen operatic treasures to a contemporary audience.
Galasso choreographed the dances for the production, including the 9-minute dream ballet at the opening of Act III, featuring soprano Ausrine Stundyte.
"CATHERINE GALASSO’S MOVEMENT DIRECTION ADDED TEXTURE, CONTRASTING THE RIGID EXERCISES OF THE GUARDS WITH A FLOWING DREAM SEQUENCE DURING THE RADIANT ACT III PRELUDE: A BEVY OF WOMEN, COSTUMED, LIKE HELIANE, IN THE NAKEDNESS GARMENT, DANCED WITH HER, DEMONSTRATING THE AWAKENING OF HER TRUE FEELINGS." ~Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal, July 30 2019
The Miracle of Heliane
Composer
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Libretto
Hans Muller-Einigen
American Symphony Orchestra Conductor
Leon Botstein, Music Director
Stage Director
Christian Rath
Movement Direction
Catherine Galasso
Cast
Heliane Ausrine Stundyte
The Ruler Alfred Walker
The Stranger Daniel Brenna
The Messenger Jennifer Feinstein
The Porter Nicholas Brownlee
Blind Chief Justice David Cangelosi
The Judges Nathan Berg, Scott Conner, Michael J. Hawk, Derek Taylor, Kevin Thompson, Richard Troxell
Dancers
David Gonsier, Joey Kipp, Doug LeCours, Karla Quintero, Tara Sheena, Niko Tsocanos, Meg Weeks, Mei Yamanaka
Set and Costume Design
Esther Bialas
Support
The 2019 Bard SummerScape season is made possible in part through the generous support of Jeanne Donovan Fisher, the Martin and Toni Sosnoff Foundation, Board of the Fisher Center at Bard, Board of the Bard Music Festival, and Friends of the Fisher Center, as well as grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
https://fishercenter.bard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2019-SummerScape-Heliane-Program.pdf