A chamber opera with music by Laura Schwendinger, libretto by Ginger Strand, in Houston this weekend.
From Match:
Turn-of-the-century Paris was a hotbed of artistic innovation, and cabarets were the furnaces where this innovation was forged. It was here that poets, musicians, painters and bohemians of all sorts rubbed shoulders and laid the groundwork for the expressionist, abstract and modernist movements that continue to shape our culture today. And it was here that an American-born dancer, choreographer and light designer dazzled audiences, inspired artists from Toulouse-Lautrec to Yeats, and redefined modern dance, only to be largely forgotten in the decades that followed. This spring, Musiqa and Stages proudly shine an overdue spotlight on pioneering artist Loie Fuller with the world premiere of a new chamber opera by renowned composer Laura Schwendinger.
Cabaret of Shadows begins after Loie’s death, when she remains ever-present in the mind of her lover and long-term partner, Gab Sorere. A theatrical producer, Gab dreams up an evening of cabaret performance, casting women who never actually appeared on stage together in her cabaret of the mind. Her imagined audience is her beloved Loie, an early proponent of free, improvisational dance whose innovations in choreography, lighting, and costuming inspired an army of imitators. Together the women watch and comment on some of the gender-defying and genre-bending performances of women whose work has often been left out of standard histories of cabaret. Filled with love and longing, Gab’s ongoing conversation with Loie evokes the Loie’s brilliant work too, even as it illustrates the grief of a great lost love.
A clip of the music here.
Very cool.
Ever seen Pilobolus perform?
I don’t know if choreographers for Pilobolus are aware, because Loie Fuller’s ideas had been pretty thoroughly absorbed by the second half of the 20th century, but they owe Fuller a lot. Even bamboo sticks under flowing costumes have shown up in Pilobolus performances.
Let us know if Cabaret of Shadows ever makes it to Tennessee.
Why do economists have tin ears?
You’re over the line here. I doubt you know why, but not knowing why is pretty much always a problem with you.
Why so much anger against the world? Do you feel slighted or something?
Congratulations on this. Wish the circumstances were happier.
Also congratulations, as someone whose mother was Concertmaster of the Madison Symphony and a composer, although I guess rsm presumes that I also must have a tin ear.
It is nice to see a continuing collaboration with Ginger Strand. I was introduced to Strand’s superb writing through reading her work in Orion.
I hope that eventually, we may be able to see a performance via YouTube, or Vimeo, as we were able to see Artemisia.
Without editorializing too much here and getting myself into trouble, it’s a good bet. Artists tend to like sharing their work. Certainly after its “first run” I would say the odds are high we’ll see it on Vimeo in some form.
@ SecondLook
I’m generally not an opera fan. My interests are more “base” or geared to the lower social classes you can say. I’m not saying it’s not great art an gives a lot of people a lot of joy, it’s just not my cup of tea. My interests are more “base” or geared to the lower social classes you can say. But one of the performers in “Cabaret of Shadows” is Julia Fox and she has a Vimeo channel. That might give you “an appetizer” so to speak, before you can catch the show:
https://vimeo.com/user4186317?embedded=true&source=owner_name&owner=4186317
Are economists so caught up in the little stories they invent for themselves in their precious heads while listening to music, that they haven’t even figured out that it doesn’t mean a thing if it doesn’t have that swing? Can they even hear swing? Or are they too busy taking the logs of the utility functions of the individual musicians independently of the ensemble sound, amirite?
Fanny Mendelssohn, eat your heart out.
Houston was where I went to get my Visa before I went to China. I brought my little work permit that I had got. I also been to Houston when I was driving semi. Every city has some downsides, such as some similar things Houston has to El Paso TX. But overall a great city. Oh, to talk to that neurotic guy filling out forms in the Chinese Embassy to let him in store for what would happen the next 7 years. I guess I would do it again.
unfortunately, the Chinese embassy in houston closed down when trump began to attack the chinese. since travel has been slow during the pandemic, it has not really mattered. but when things pick up, it will be a shame. lots of travel between houston and china prior to the pandemic. even direct flights to beijing. the embassy building sits empty now.
I had forgot all about that, but yeah, I had seen that on TV or something. It made some headlines. No one, including Menzie will probably believe this, but I hope all of them were safe and ok and found other jobs if they lost their work because of that. More victims of the orange abomination. Yeah…… I’m sure the Embassy staff there thought I was quite the oddball/weirdo (and I am sure they were correct to a degree) when I went in there “Oh look, dumb white guy headed to China. People in my country are killing to get scholarships and Visas to study here and this dumb white ghost thinks he’s going on holiday!?!?!?!?! Hey Zhou Li, which mental hospital you think this guy was just let out of??” But they were all super kind and after I paid the expedited Visa fee (it was not a bribe, there was an actual expedited visa fee) they got me rolling and on my way back home for my next adventure in masochism.
[ sigh…… good times ]
Menzie,
I wanna tell you a story. You are well aware what a dork and what a jerk bastard I am , right?? You wanna know what ONE of my proudest moments in China, or my life, was?? This was in my first year in CHina, About 2001–2002, around that time. I had been offered a job at a private school, maybe like 10 year olds, around that age I forgot. I was flattered I was offered that job by two of my female students, they were students at the colllege, it was an old “communist “cadre” college. I know before that was a “big deal” college. But when I went there, it was passe, the college was past it’s golden years, It wasn’t what it was before, when I went there it was lower. SO were those two girls acting from a “selfish” sense?? MAybe. But I didn’t want the job I told them I’ll take the job , but ONLY if you give these two girls a job here, and They MUST work TOGETHER with me, so I know they are now working and you’re not lying to me, these two girls MUST be MY “TAs” do you know what happened next week Menzie?? I left that school after one year, DO you know what/which two girls worked at that same school MANY YEARS after I left that school?? I don’t crap with poeple Menzie—I don’t crap with them If I went to yoju tomorrow, you’d “get” me. I don’t crap on people Menzie. I’m not “self=serving like virginia people