WHEN:
December 9-10, 2024
WHERE:
Guarneri Hall
11 East Adams, 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL 60603
A spokesperson describes the event as follows:
“...Pierrot Unmasked, a concert series exploring the poetic and theatrical context of Arnold Schoenberg’s seminal melodrama, Pierrot lunaire...presents two different performances around the tragic-comic character Pierrot from Commedia dell'Arte, one with a reading of Albert Giraud’s poems on which Pierrot lunaire is based, and the other featuring a lively theatrical performance.
The stock character Pierrot originated in the Commedia dell’Arte of 17th-century Italy. This sad clown has been a source of artistic inspiration since, reflected in the work of many French painters and Symbolist poets. Giraud’s 50-poem set, Pierrot lunaire: rondels bergamasques, formed the basis of the commission that resulted in Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire. The extended tonality of Schoenberg’s musical language super-charges the haunting, other-worldly quality of Giraud’s poems, making both performances of Pierrot lunaire uniquely evocative and modernistic experiences.
Guarneri Hall’s unique pair of evenings will provide context for Pierrot lunaire with in-depth perspectives on the literary and theatrical histories of the Pierrot character. Each evening will culminate in a performance of Pierrot lunaire by soprano Kristina Bachrach with pianist Daniel Pesca, flutist Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, clarinetist Graham Steele Johnson, and Guarneri Hall’s resident ensemble, NEXUS Chamber Music, and include a post-performance Q&A session with the performers and event organizers. While the music is the same both nights—taking a cue from Schoenberg himself, who with his circle frequently staged performances where works were played twice in their entirety—the two evenings promise to offer uniquely different experiences..."
