Monday, May 28, 2012
Events Spoleto Update: 2012 Festival launches with salt and Glass, Phoenix and Fever
Posted by Andrew Alexander @AndrewAWriter on Mon, May 28, 2012 at 4:42 PM
- Nan Melville
- REVELATIONS: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre helped launch opening weekend of Spoleto 2012 in Charleston.
Philip Glass' Kepler has been produced in Europe before and has been performed in concert versions in the US, but on Saturday, May 25, the work was given its first full-scale US production at Charleston's Sottile Theatre, where it continues through June 2. The repeating arpeggios of Glass' music can test even the most fastidious orchestra's accuracy, but the orchestra, especially during the second act, was able to develop the piece's subtlety and power on opening night. Kepler is an abstract work in which the central drama is a shift in consciousness, as it is in many of Glass' operas: the German astronomer Kepler, who believed that God had hidden himself in the mathematical principles of the universe, fundamentally changed how human beings perceived the cosmos. The chorus ending Act I is especially dramatic as the members of the church sing out an accusational "Vanitas vanitatum" (Vanity of vanities). The church took his work as a challenge to a theistic view of the universe, even though it was not his intention.
Because the piece is so cerebral and meditative, staging it can be a challenge. How do you make a set piece that shows a changing mathematical conception of the universe? Although the minimalist backdrop and simple costumes of the American production do allow for a spacious, undistracted contemplation of Glass' music, things are a bit too static. The feeling is often more oratorio than opera, and a giant screen seems underutilized. When the screen briefly shows a slowly moving, abstract image of a smoky, revolving galaxy, the work truly comes alive.
- Julia Lynn
- STAR POWER: Shen Tiemei lights up the stage in "Feng Yi Ting."
Also the subject of festival buzz this year were performances by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre. Charleston's delighted surprise served to remind us how lucky Atlanta is to have such a strong relationship with the Ailey company and its annual visits to the Fox. It's an amazing company that puts on a killer show. We'll be generous and share with Charleston.
- Morisawa
- KALEIDOSCOPE IN WHITE: Japanese artist Matoi Yamamoto creates installations with salt in memory of his sister.
At the artist's talk that filled a theater in the Simmons Center, Yamamato explained through a translator that his salt pieces are created in memory of his sister who died in 1994 of brain cancer: each swirl in the pattern represents a small memory of her, and through the process of creation, he seeks to connect back to her memory. A central part of his process is the dismantling of each installation, as members of the community sweep up the salt and carry it back to the sea. The Charleston dismantling will take place on Saturday, July 7, at 4 pm.
Still ahead are more performances of the Gate Theatre of Dublin's production of Noël Coward's Hay Fever, concerts by k.d. lang and Mavis Staples, dance by Cedar Lake Ballet and performances by the controversial monologist Mike Daisey. The festival continues for two more weekends. Check Spoleto for details.
Latest in Fresh Loaf
-
U.S. Rep. Gingrey: Kids need to 'have a class' reinforcing traditional gender roles 10
Marietta Congressmen supports the Defense of Marriage Act in remarks to Congress
-
Atlanta almost looks like NYC in 'Anchorman 2' trailer
This one should be good for my new favorite movie-watching drinking game: drink when you recognize Atlanta
-
Congressman John Lewis to deliver keynote at Decatur Book Festival
2013 Decatur Book Festival keynote speaker and lineup announced
- More »
More by Andrew Alexander
-
Atlanta Ballet announces 2013-14 season
Play on, Tennessee Williams and Shakespeare!
-
Why the battle for same-sex marriage is over 24
Whichever way the Supreme Court rules, everybody wins
- More »
Search Fresh Loaf
