|
What's New with
Anne Manson
August 9, 2010
“Nipping Down to Hell with Philip Glass”
ORPHÉE
Music by Philip Glass
Libretto by Philip Glass based on the 1949 film Orphée by
Jean Cocteau
World Premiere Recording
Anne Manson, conductor
Lisa Saffer, soprano "La Princesse"
Portland Opera Company
"Nipping Down to Hell With Philip Glass"
--Anthony Tommasini,
The New York Times
"IN 1993 I attended the
premiere of Philip Glass’s opera "Orphée"
and was unimpressed.…The work did not cohere stylistically, and Mr.
Glass’s score seemed automatic-pilot Minimalism.
"In 2007 at the
Glimmerglass Opera
I heard "Orphée" again
… with the conductor Anne Manson drawing an urgent and
nuanced account of the score from the excellent orchestra and a
compelling cast. This time, 14 years after my first hearing, I was
swept away by "Orphée." I have come to consider it among Mr. Glass’s
most inspired works.
"The Glimmerglass production was presented last year
at the Portland Opera
in Oregon, with Ms. Manson conducting and many singers from
the Glimmerglass cast. An excellent recording, taken from a live
performance in Portland, has just been released by
Orange Mountain Music
(OMM 0068; two CDs), the first recording of the complete work.
"….The vibrant Ms. Manson works effectively
to bring transparency and balance to the orchestra, without loss of
plush colors and harmonic intensity…. the singers give engrossing
performances, especially the leads: the charismatic baritone Philip
Cutlip as Orphée and the lustrous soprano
Lisa Saffer
as the Princess."
Hear Anne Manson
Hear Lisa Saffer
Buy
Orphée
at Amazon
July 22, 2010
ORPHÉE
Music by Philip Glass
Libretto by Philip Glass based on the 1949 film
Orphée by Jean Cocteau
World Premiere Recording
Anne Manson, conductor
Sam Helfrich, director
Lisa Saffer, soprano "La Princesse"
Georgia Jarman, soprano "Eurydice"
Ryan MacPherson, tenor "Heurtebise"
Philip Cutlip, baritone "Orphée"
Portland Opera Company
NEW YORK, NY – July 20, 2010 – The Orange
Mountain Music label has announced the commercial release of the
world premiere recording of Philip Glass’ Orphée,
conducted by Anne Manson with the Portland Opera Company,
which will be available for purchase on July 20, 2010. The
production features a remarkable cast of soloists including renowned
soprano Georgia Jarman as Eurydice; baritone Philip Cutlip
and soprano Lisa Saffer – who both starred in the critically
acclaimed Glimmerglass production of the opera in 2007 – reprise
their roles as Orphée and La Princesse; and tenor Ryan MacPherson
as La Princesse’s chauffeur, Heurtebise. Glass’ Orphée has
been described by The New York Times as a "surprise
hit: a rich, complex and challenging experience" "vibrantly
conducted by Anne Manson", and was praised by The Wall Street
Journal as "the best show of the season" with a "top-flight
cast" in 2007.
Philip Glass’ Orphée (1993) was the first of
a trilogy of operas that Glass composed on subjects by Jean Cocteau,
which also comprises La Belle et la Bête (1994) and Les
Enfants Terribles (1996). The last of the three to be recorded,
this Michael Riesman-produced recording of Orphée was made
from the series of live performances that took place in November
2009 at Portland Opera. This two-disc set includes a deluxe digipack,
full libretto in French and English, color production photos and
cast and performer biographies.
Based on Jean Cocteau’s fascinating retelling of the
Orpheus myth in his 1949 film of the same title, Glass’ Orphée
is an extended parable on the life of an artist, a poet harassed and
misunderstood by peers. His success leads to the ridicule by fellow
poets, ending in a creatively crippling isolation. With a renewed
apprehension of his own mortality, Orphée regains his emotional
strength, enabling him to ignore the trials of ordinary life,
freeing him to be a poet. The poets Orphée and Cégeste, Euridice,
and a mysterious Princess interact within the worlds of the living
and the dead, existing in that mysterious realm that separates the
two worlds. Love triumphs and thus returns Orphée and Euridice to
mortal life, with no remaining consciousness of their unusual time
spent between "the worlds". The Princess has violated the laws of
life and death one time too many and is banished into oblivion.
Philip Glass, following his attendance at an Orphée
performance in Portland, expressed his pleasure about the recording.
"This recording," he said, "happily completes the Cocteau Trilogy
and will admirably reflect my hopes and intentions for this piece.
The Portland Opera production features a brilliant cast and an
inspired conductor."
Anne Manson said, "It was a wonderful experience
working on Orphée with such a gifted cast and director. I hope that
the release of this recording will help to promote this wonderful
and effective piece of music theater of Philip Glass. May it have
many more performances!"
Portland Opera General Director Christopher
Mattaliano noted the historic aspect of this recording as well as
its significance in the world of contemporary classical music. "It
is an honor," he said, "to have Portland Opera’s production of
Orphée complete the recording collection of Philip Glass’ entire
Cocteau Trilogy. Mounting the west coast premiere of Orphée was a
project that energized the company and our community. This recording
puts the exclamation point on that excitement, especially since it
will make our work available to a world-wide audience. It is also a
source of pride for our staff, board, orchestra, and guest artists
to be involved in such a worthwhile project."
RECORDING DETAILS
Philip Glass – Orphée (complete opera recording)
Orange Mountain Music label
OMM0068 – UPC 801837006827
Portland Opera Company, Keller Auditorium, Portland, OR
November 6 – 14, 2009
Hear Anne Manson
Hear Lisa Saffer
Buy
Orphée
at Amazon
May 5, 2010
“MOST THRILLING”
Anne Manson, conductor
POULENC Dialogues of the Carmelites
Juilliard Opera
“The performance was conducted by Anne Manson,
who conveyed the drama and tenderness of Poulenc’s work
magnificently....When it was over we agreed it was one of the most
thrilling musical experiences we had ever had.”
--Howard Kissel,
New York Daily News
“With Anne Manson conducting, the Juilliard
Orchestra gave this magnificent music an exquisitely shaped
reading...”
--Allan Kozinn,
The New York Times
HEAR Anne Manson
March 24, 2010
“HER FINEST MOMENTS”
Anne Manson, conductor
POULENC Dialogues of the Carmelites
Juilliard Opera
“This is a conductor New Yorkers may
particularly want to hear, as she is certainly coming into her
finest moments.”
--COMMANDOpera.com
Photo credit: Dario Acosta
“COMMANDOpera received this notification in the
mail regarding a run of performances which normally would not excite
COMMANDOpera if not for the participation of the commanding woman
pictured above, conductor Anne Manson.
COMMANDOpera immediately felt the necessity to
write after reading her biography to write on the upcoming run
because this is a conductor New Yorkers may particularly want to
hear, as she is certainly coming into her finest moments. On
Wednesday, April 21 at 8:00pm conductor Anne Manson will lead the
Juilliard Orchestra and Vocal Artists in Francois Poulenc’s highly
emotive Dialogues of the Carmelites, the final production of The
Juilliard Opera Center season, directed by Mr. Fabrizio Melano. Last
performed at Juilliard in 2001, Dialogues of the Carmelites is a
work gaining currency as one of the masterpieces of the 20th-century
repertoire; relatively conservative in its harmonic language and
endowed with a constant flow of melody, the opera provides a
powerful examination of faith during the French revolution. The
production will be fully staged, and sung in French with English
supertitles. Additional performances will follow on Friday, April 23
at 8:00pm and Sunday, April 25 at 2:00pm.
Here is the official biography which has raised
interest: Anne Manson has achieved a series of historic milestones.
She was the first woman to conduct at the Salzburg Festival, where
she led the Vienna Philharmonic in Boris Godunov, and the third
woman to be appointed Music Director of a leading symphony
orchestra, having served as Music Director of the Kansas City
Symphony from 1999 to 2003. She came to prominence early in her
career as Music Director of London’s Mecklenburgh Opera (from 1988
to 1996), programming operas ranging from Mozart to 20th-century
rarities and new commissions. Today, she is Music Director of
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, with whom she has led two hugely
successful tours with world famous soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and
percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie. Manson recently led the Portland
Opera Company in Philip Glass’ Orphée, a recording of which will be
released on the Orange Mountain Music label in March. Last season’s
opera appearances include Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s
Dream for the Canadian Opera Company, for which she received
Canada’s DORA Award for outstanding musical direction. She also made
her debut at the Minnesota Opera in 2009 with the U.S. premiere of
Jonathan Dove’s The Adventures of Pinocchio and was immediately
invited back to conduct Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda in 2011. In
Canada, she will record live concerts this season with soprano
Measha Brueggergosman and recorder virtuoso Michala Petri. Recent
recordings include two releases for BIS: a flute concerto by Mari
Takano with flutist Sharon Bezaly and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra,
and tuba concerti with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and tubist
Øystein Baadsvik. After leading New York City Opera in Samuel
Barber’s Vanessa, The New York Times said, “Ms. Manson… has broken
into the New York opera scene, and it’s about time.” She won the
Richard F. Gold Debut Award for the production, which is presented
by City Opera to the season’s best debut artist. Other major
engagements have included Così fan tutte for San Francisco Opera,
the premiere of Scott Wheeler’s Democracy (commissioned by Placido
Domingo) for Washington National Opera, Carlisle Floyd’s Susanna for
Grand Theatre de Genève, and Donizetti’s Viva la Mamma for Stockholm
Royal Opera. She regularly conducts the Orquesta de Extremadura in
Spain, and has been a guest conductor for the Los Angeles
Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Paris’ Ensemble Intercontemporain,
Royal National Scottish Orchestra, BBC Scottish Orchestra, Houston
Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra,
and Swedish Chamber Orchestra, among others.”
SEE Anne Manson conduct
Dialogues of the Carmelites at Juilliard April 21, 23, 25
HEAR Anne Manson
February 18, 2010
“A SENSE OF RHAPSODY”
Anne Manson, conductor
Lisa Saffer, soprano “La Princesse”
PHILIP GLASS Orphée
Portland Opera
“Conductor Anne Manson and a thirty-musician orchestra brought
precision and...a sense of rhapsody [to] Portland Opera’s West Coast
premiere of Orphée which Philip Glass composed in 1991 to a
French libretto taken almost verbatim from the 1949 Jean Cocteau
film.
...soprano Lisa Saffer as La Princesse sang with radiant beauty...”
--Mark Mandel, Opera News February 2010
February 2, 2010
“MORE THAN A CLEVER MONIKER”
Anne Manson, conductor
American Composers Orchestra
ROGER ZARE Time-Lapse
(World Premiere)
SEBASTIAN CURRIER Next Atlantis (World Premiere, String
Orchestra / Multimedia Version)
PAQUITO D'RIVERA Conversations with Cachao (NY Premiere)
“The American Composers Orchestra continued its ‘Orchestra
Underground’ series in the subterranean space of Zankel Hall on Jan.
29, with an interdisciplinary and intergenerational program aptly
titled ‘Conversations.’ It was more than just a clever moniker….On
the podium was guest conductor Anne Manson, who led the ACO’s
Underground New Music Readings in 2008. Those sessions, designed as
a workshop for emerging composers to hear their works read by an
orchestra, featured Roger Zare, a young doctoral student at the
University of Michigan, and the ACO commissioned a work from him for
this series.
The result, Time Lapse, is an essay in motion….Masterfully
orchestrated with a winning sense of color and textural clarity….a
shimmering climax of satisfying post-romantic harmonies. Manson led
the chamber-sized ACO with taut precision and pressing urgency.”
--Jordan Brown,
Musical America
Hear Anne Manson
Available at
amazon.com
February 2, 2010
“OUTSTANDING!”
Anne Manson, conductor
American Composers Orchestra
Robert Black, Bass
Paquito D'Rivera, Clarinet and Alto Saxophone
Pawel Wojtasik, Video Artist
"The conductor Anne Manson, in
her American Composers Orchestra debut, did outstanding work in
managing the program’s disparate elements, and the orchestra
responded with estimable style and confidence."
--Steve Smith,
The New York Times
Program:
ROGER ZARE Time-Lapse (World Premiere)
SEBASTIAN CURRIER Next Atlantis (World Premiere, String
Orchestra / Multimedia Version)
PAQUITO D'RIVERA Conversations with Cachao (NY Premiere)
January 25, 2010
"IRREPRESSIBLE IDEAS"
Anne Manson, conductor
American Composers Orchestra
Robert Black, Bass
Paquito D'Rivera, Clarinet and Alto Saxophone
Pawel Wojtasik, Video Artist
“Welcome Guests with
Irrepressible Ideas”
--David Patrick Stearns,
Philadelphia Inquirer
"Any orchestra that plays nothing but new music
is going to have ups and downs, but lately the American Composer
Orchestra’s ups have been worth taking a chance on – particularly
with the much-discussed Anne Manson conducting."
See Anne Manson with the American Composers Orchestra:
Friday, January 29, 7:30 pm at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, New York
Saturday January 30, 7:30 pm at Annenberg Center’s Harold Prince
Theatre, Philadelphia
Program:
ROGER ZARE Time-Lapse (World Premiere)
SEBASTIAN CURRIER Next Atlantis (World Premiere,
String Orchestra / Multimedia Version)
PAQUITO D'RIVERA Conversations with Cachao (NY
Premiere)
January 8, 2010
DEADLY SINS
Anne Manson, conductor
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
Measha
Brueggergosman, soprano
Pavel Haas: Study for String Orchestra
Arnold Schoenberg: Brettl-Lieder Cabaret Songs
Gideon Klein: Partita for Strings
Kurt Weill: The Seven Deadly Sins
"...Weill’s The Seven Deadly Sins, his
first work after leaving Germany....[was] originally written as a
sung ballet with libretto by Bertholt Brecht. Brueggergosman plays
Anna 1 and Anna 2, with [a] larger-than-life personality and
dazzling voice. A beefed-up MCO, with added brass, woodwinds,
percussion, harp and guitar, was solidly into the spirit of the
work, thanks to conductor Anne Manson’s precise direction."
--Gwenda Nemerofsky,
Winnipeg Free Press
Hear Anne Manson
Available at
amazon.com
“CONSUMMATE ARTIST...IMPECCABLE TECHNIQUE”
October 13, 2009
Anne Manson, conductor
Manitoba Chamber Orchestra
Dame Evelyn Glennie, percussionist
Antonio Vivaldi: Piccolo concerto, arranged for vibraphone
Jose Evangelista: Airs d’Espagne
Joe Duddel: Snowblind
Christos Hatzis Mirage?
Dmitri Shostakovich: 10th string quartet (arr. Barshai)
"The conductor, Anne Manson proved to be a consummate artist,
leading the group flawlessly through the melodic Spanish style
songs... They brought impeccable technique and musicianship to their
playing."
--Marvin Dickau
"The musicians performed with assurance, passion and precision...
[The performance was] full of nuance, energy and expression."
--Joanne Villeneuve
"The ensemble is an incredible, disciplined group of musicians."
--Dale Bass
Hear Anne Manson
Available at
amazon.com
A “Dream” Come True
August 14, 2009
Anne Manson, conductor
BRITTEN A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Canadian Opera Company
“Magical Midsummer Night a dream
come true”
“...Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s
Dream...looked and sounded very much like a dream come true. It
only took a minute or two for the sighing, muted glissandi that
begin the opera to create a mood of somnolent mystery....Anne
Manson’s watchful, imaginative conducting of singers and orchestra
was especially powerful...”
--Robert Everett-Green,
Globe and Mail
Hear Anne Manson
Dark and Delicious Mix
August 7, 2009
Anne Manson, conductor
Britten A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Canadian Opera Company
“Dark and Delicious Mix of Old and New on an Opera Stage”
“The music is beautifully rendered....The
orchestra, led by Anne Manson (the Manitoba Chamber orchestra’s new
music director), breathed in unison with Britten’s gently rising and
falling music.
All of these elements combine to deliver an opera
experience that’s close to being magical in this Midsummer
Night’s Dream....one can simply sit back and marvel at the
careful stage and musical direction behind this dark and delicious
mix of old and new on an opera stage.”
--John Terauds,
The Star
Hear Anne Manson
For Outstanding Musical Direction, The Winner Is...
July 31, 2009
... Conductor Anne Manson!
Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Canadian Opera Company
Winning for Outstanding Musical Direction
“The music is beautifully rendered....The
orchestra, led by Anne Manson (the Manitoba Chamber orchestra’s new
music director), breathed in unison with Britten’s gently rising and
falling music.
All of these elements combine to deliver an opera
experience that’s close to being magical in this Midsummer
Night’s Dream....one can simply sit back and marvel at the
careful stage and musical direction behind this dark and delicious
mix of old and new on an opera stage.”
--John Terauds, The Star
The Dora Mavor Moore Award honors excellence
in Theatre, Dance & Opera in Toronto
Hear Anne Manson
For Outstanding Musical Direction, The Winner Is...
July 1, 2009
... Conductor Anne Manson!
Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Canadian Opera Company
Winning for Outstanding Musical Direction
“The music is beautifully rendered....The
orchestra, led by Anne Manson (the Manitoba Chamber orchestra’s new
music director), breathed in unison with Britten’s gently rising and
falling music.
All of these elements combine to deliver an opera
experience that’s close to being magical in this Midsummer
Night’s Dream....one can simply sit back and marvel at the
careful stage and musical direction behind this dark and delicious
mix of old and new on an opera stage.”
--John Terauds, The Star
The Dora Mavor Moore Award honors excellence
in Theatre, Dance & Opera in Toronto
www.theglobeandmail.com
Hear Anne Manson
BRITTEN Midsummer Night’s Dream
June 15, 2009
... Conductor Anne Manson!
Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Canadian Opera Company
Outstanding Musical Direction
“The music is beautifully rendered....The
orchestra, led by Anne Manson (the Manitoba Chamber orchestra’s new
music director), breathed in unison with Britten’s gently rising and
falling music.
All of these elements combine to deliver an opera
experience that’s close to being magical in this Midsummer Night’s
Dream....one can simply sit back and marvel at the careful stage and
musical direction behind this dark and delicious mix of old and new
on an opera stage.”
--John Terauds, The Star
Nominated for a Dora Mavor Moore Award which honors excellence in
Theatre, Dance & Opera in Toronto
http://www.tapa.ca/doras/press/
J. DOVE Pinocchio
June 2, 2009
Anne Manson, conductor
DOVE The Adventures of Pinocchio
Minnesota Opera
“MN Opera’s Adventures of Pinocchio an enchanting experience
for all ages”
“Forming the aural backdrop is a gorgeous musical score
that seamlessly ranges from lavishly layered heightened drama to
delicate notes of soothing reassurance, each section punctuating the
tonal shifts in the storyline. Renowned conductor Anne Manson
demonstrates her deft skill for crafting dynamic musical mosaics
that capture the spirit of each and every scene. At any moment the
stage is capable of being thrillingly awash in a breathtaking
display of musical diversity and verve.
The Adventures of Pinocchio is family friendly
entertainment for the 21st century that manages to conjure timeless
lessons of selflessness and responsibility. For experienced opera
patrons and newcomers alike, whatever your age, this fantastic
production shouldn’t be missed.”
--Brad Richason,
Twin Cities Performance Art Examiner
Hear Anne Manson
“Dark and Delicious Mix”
May 14, 2009
Anne Manson, conductor
Britten A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Canadian Opera Company
“Dark and Delicious Mix of Old and New on an Opera Stage”
“The music is beautifully rendered....The
orchestra, led by Anne Manson (the Manitoba Chamber orchestra’s new
music director), breathed in unison with Britten’s gently rising and
falling music.
All of these elements combine to deliver an opera
experience that’s close to being magical in this Midsummer
Night’s Dream....one can simply sit back and marvel at the
careful stage and musical direction behind this dark and delicious
mix of old and new on an opera stage.”
--John Terauds,
The Star
Hear Anne Manson
A “Dream” Come True
May 8, 2009
Anne Manson, conductor
BRITTEN A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Canadian Opera Company
“Magical Midsummer Night a dream come true”
“...Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream...looked and
sounded very much like a dream come true. It only took a minute or
two for the sighing, muted glissandi that begin the opera to create
a mood of somnolent mystery....Anne Manson’s watchful, imaginative
conducting of singers and orchestra was especially powerful...”
--Robert Everett-Green,
Globe and
Mail
Hear Anne Manson
Read more about Anne
Manson
|
