ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—The Fall 2006 season at The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College presents an extraordinary schedule of music, theater, dance, and film. The schedule of programs, taking place in the visually and acoustically stunning Frank Gehry-designed Fisher Center, opens on October 6 with a Beckett Centenary celebration, the first program of the American Symphony Orchestra’s Fisher Center series; the third and final weekend of the 17th annual Bard Music Festival: Liszt and His World; and, in December, Mark Morris’s The Hard Nut, a witty interpretation of the holiday classic The Nutcracker. BECKETT CENTENARY AT BARD October 6–15, 2006 The Gate Theater of Dublin’s acclaimed production of Waiting for Godot opens the Beckett Centenary Celebration at Bard on Saturday, October 7, and Sunday, October 8, in the Sosnoff Theater of the Fisher Center. The Gate Theatre of Dublin has emerged as one of the world’s most respected and authoritative advocates for the dramatic work of Samuel Beckett. According to the Irish Times, the Gate’s production of Beckett’s theatrical masterpiece is “definitive, not just in Irish but in global terms. It is probably the closest we will ever get to the perfect, official Godot.” The production at Bard, directed by Walter Asmus, reunites the core of the Gate’s acclaimed 1991 Dublin cast, with Barry McGovern as Vladimir, Johnny Murphy as Estragon, and Alan Stanford as Pozzo. Stephen Brennan performs the role of the servant, Lucky. Tickets $20, 35, 55. The weeklong Beckett Centenary continues with dramatic recitals of prose and one late drama by Beckett—including Molloy, Mallone Dies, The Unnamable, Worstward Ho, Texts for Nothing III, VIII & XII, A Piece of Monologue, and Enough—by the Gare St. Lazare Players Ireland in both the Sosnoff Theater and CCS Bard Hessel Museum. Of Conor Lovett, who performs a number of the solo pieces, the Irish Times wrote: “Lovett finds a way both to be completely faithful to Beckett and to escape the shadow of his great Irish interpreters. . . . The result is a cold, hard jewel of a performance, an absolutely riveting experience that, if it ever comes your way, is worth dropping everything to encounter.” These monologues display all of Beckett’s characteristic wit, lyricism, and piercing insight. The prose pieces are directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett, and the short drama, A Piece of Monologue, is directed by Walter Asmus. (October 11–15, 2006). Tickets $35. The Beckett Centenary at Bard will also feature Beckett on Film, which will screen films of all 19 of his stage plays. The wealth of talent assembled for the landmark Beckett on Film project includes actors Julianne Moore, Kristin Scott Thomas, Juliet Stevenson, Alan Rickman, Jeremy Irons, John Hurt, Michael Gambon, David Thewlis, and, in what is said to be his last acting appearance, John Gielgud. Directors include Atom Egoyan, Neil Jordan, Anthony Minghella, David Mamet, and Damien Hirst. For the Beckett Centenary at Bard, the films will be presented in a curated, rotating program of screenings, demonstrating the range of Beckett’s stage work for both aficionados and new audiences. Two special screenings of Beckett’s only film, Film, will be screened as part of this series. (October 6–15, 2006). Tickets $7.50 per film program. AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FISHER CENTER SERIES October 13 and 14, 2006 Fall 2006 at the Fisher Center presents the first program of the popular American Symphony Orchestra Fisher Center series. This first program (of three, the others in March and in May) presents an evening of music by Mozart, Elgar, and Brahms, conducted by music director Leon Botstein, about whom the New York Times recently wrote, “The conductor Leon Botstein elicited powerful, refined performances from the American Symphony Orchestra.” Featured soloist is cellist Nan Jia, winner of the Bard College Conservatory of Music’s Conservatory Concerto Competition. The program includes Mozart’s symphony No. 38 in D Major, “Prague”; Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor; and Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 in C Minor. The American Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski. In addition to its main subscription series at Lincoln Center, the American Symphony Orchestra performs a lecture/concert series with audience interaction at Columbia University's Miller Theatre called Classics Declassified. It is also the resident orchestra of The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College, where it performs to capacity audiences in a winter concert series as well as in the summer Bard Music Festival. As part of Lincoln Center Presents Great Performers, the American Symphony performs thematically organized concerts at Avery Fisher Hall, linking music to the visual arts, literature, politics, and history, often in collaboration with museums and other cultural institutions. With its bold programming, innovative presentation, and commitment to music education, the American Symphony Orchestra seeks to make great music a relevant, accessible, and enjoyable experience for all kinds of listeners. Its music education programs extend through New York, New Jersey, and Long Island. The American Symphony Orchestra has toured extensively and made numerous recordings and broadcasts. Its most recent recording is of music by Copland, Sessions, Perle, and Rands in a special tribute album to legendary American music patron Francis Goelet, issued by New World Records. The Orchestra also recently recorded music of Ernst von Dohnányi for Bridge Records. Its recording of Richard Strauss's opera Die ägyptische Helena with Deborah Voigt was released in 2003 by Telarc to outstanding acclaim. This recording joins the American Symphony's recording of Strauss's Die Liebe der Danae, also from Telarc. Other recordings with Leon Botstein include Franz Schubert: Orchestrated on the Koch International label, with works by Joachim, Mottl, and Webern, and, on the Vanguard Classics label, Johannes Brahms's Serenade No. 1 in D major, Op. 11 (1860). The American Symphony inaugurated São Paolo's new concert hall and has made several tours of Asia and Europe. It also has a long history of appearing in charitable and public benefits for such organizations as Sha'are Zedek Hospital, the Jerusalem Foundation, and PBS. (Series continues March 2 and 3, 2007; May 4 and 5, 2007). Tickets $20, 30, 40. WEEKEND THREE: THE BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL: FRANZ LISZT AND HIS WORLD October 27 and 28, 2006 The life, career, and achievement of Franz Liszt (1811–86) serve as a mirror of 19th-century Romanticism. Beginning in August, the 17th annual Bard Music Festival has delved into this fascinating world by offering a broad range of music that reflects various aspects of Liszt’s manifold talents and elusive personality: Liszt the performer, phenomenon, and critic. The third and final weekend of the 2006 Bard Music Festival, on October 27 and 28, titled “The Divergent Paths of Romanticism,” is dedicated to Liszt the visionary and experimentalist. The New York Times wrote of this summer’s programs of “Liszt and His World,” “The Bard festival experience is strangely addictive, drawing a listener into a fascinating musical and cultural world unlikely to be experienced again.” The weekend will include orchestral and chamber programs, featuring the American Symphony Orchestra, on “The New German School and Musical Narrative,” “Master Class: Liszt as Teacher,” and “The War of the Romantics: Weimar and Leipzig.” Tickets $20, 35, 40. THE HARD NUT December 15–17, 2006 Imagine the Christmas classic The Nutcracker transported in time to the swinging ’70s and you have Mark Morris’s acclaimed The Hard Nut—a send-up of the holiday perennial, The Nutcracker, as well as a loving homage to Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballet. Morris’s choreography retains the best qualities of more conventional Nutcrackers, without the saccharine, and his talent for visualizing music is extraordinary. Impeccably faithful to Tchaikovsky’s original score, the boisterous production fuses uncommon dance and beautiful music with glorious costumes and stylized sets inspired by the work of cartoonist and illustrator Charles Burns. If you enjoy a dash of spice along with your holiday cheer, you’ll love The Hard Nut. Based on “Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E. T. A. Hoffman; music by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (The Nutcracker, Op. 71). Tickets $25, 55, 65. Tickets for Fall 2006 Fisher Center events are now on sale. For tickets and information, call the box office at 845-758-7900 or visit www.fishercenter.bard.edu ____________________________________________________________________________________ FALL 2006 FISHER CENTER SCHEDULE THE BECKETT CENTENARY AT BARD Friday, October 6–Sunday, October 15 The Gate Theater of Dublin Waiting for Godot Directed by Walter Asmus Design by Louis le Brocquy Lighting by Rupert Murray Sosnoff Theater Saturday, October 7 at 2 pm and 8 pm Sunday, October 8 at 3 pm Tickets: $20, 35, 55 Gare St. Lazar Players Ireland The Beckett Trilogy: Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable Performed by Conor Lovett Directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett Sosnoff Stage Thursday, October 12 at 8 pm Sunday, October 15 at 3 pm Tickets: $35 Enough Performed by Ally Ni Chiarain Directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett and A Piece of Monologue Performed by Conor Lovett Directed by Walter Asmus and Texts for Nothing III, VIII, and XII Performed by Conor Lovett Directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett Sosnoff Stage Wednesday, October 11 at 8pm Saturday, October 14 at 2 pm Tickets: $35 Worstward Ho Performed by Lee Delong Directed by Judy Hegarty Lovett Resnick Theater Studio Saturday, October 14, at 8:00 pm and Sunday, October 15, at 3 pm Tickets: $35 Beckett on Film Milton and Sally Avery Center for the Arts Tickets: $7.50 per film program Waiting for Godot Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg 120 minutes Starring Barry McGovern, Johnny Murphy, Alan Stanford, Stephen Brennan, Sam McGovern Friday, October 6 at 7:30 pm Sunday, October 15 at 7:30 pm Ohio Impromptu Directed by Charles Sturridge 12 minutes Starring Jeremy Irons Rough for Theatre I Directed by Kieron J. Walsh 19 minutes Starring David Kelly, Milo O’Shea Not I Directed by Neil Jordan 14 minutes Starring Julianne Moore Film (1965) Directed by Alan Schneider Screenplay by Samuel Beckett Starring Buster Keaton 21 minutes Saturday, October 7 at 5 pm Endgame Directed by Conor McPherson 86 minutes Starring Michael Gambon, David Thewlis, Charles Simon, Jean Anderson Saturday, October 7 at 7:30 pm Friday, October 13 at 7:30 pm Rockaby Directed by Richard Eyre 14 minutes Starring Penelope Wilton Act Without Words I Directed by Karel Reisz 16 minutes Starring Sean Foley That Time Directed by Charles Garrad 20 minutes Starring Niall Buggy Film (1965) Directed by Alan Schneider Screenplay by Samuel Beckett 1965, 21 minutes Sunday, October 8 at 5 pm Krapp’s Last Tape Directed by Atom Egoyan 58 minutes Starring John Hurt Sunday, October 8 at 7:30 pm Friday, October 13 at 5 pm Act Without Words II Directed by Enda Hughes 9 minutes Starring Pat Kinevane, Marcello Magni A Piece of Monologue Directed by Robin Lefevre 20 minutes Starring Stephen Brennan Play Directed by Anthony Minghella 16 minutes Starring Alan Rickman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Juliet Stevenson Monday, October 9 at 5 pm Happy Days Directed by Patricia Rozema 79 minutes Starring Rosaleen Linehan, Richard Johnson Monday, October 9 at 7:30 pm Saturday, October 14 at 7:30 pm Catastrophe Directed by David Mamet 6 minutes Starring John Gielgud, Rebecca Pidgeon, Harold Pinter Rough for Theatre II Directed by Katie Mitchell 29 minutes Starring Jim Norton, Timothy Spall, Hugh B. O’Brien Breath Directed by Damien Hirst 2 minutes Starring Keith Allen Saturday, October 14 at 5 pm What Where Directed by Damien O’Donnell 12 minutes Starring Sean McGinley, Gary Lewis Footfalls Directed by Walter Asmus 29 minutes Starring Susan Fitzgerald, Joan O’Hara Come and Go Directed by John Crowley 8 minutes Starring Anna Massey, Sian Phillips, Paola Dionisotti Sunday, October 15 at 5 pm AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conducted by Leon Botstein, music director Mozart, Symphony No. 38 in D Major, “Prague” Elgar, Cello Concerto in E Minor Brahms, Symphony No. 1 in C Minor Sosnoff Theater Friday, October 13, and Saturday, October 14 at 8 pm Tickets: $20, 30, 35 Walton, Variations on a Theme by Hindemith Walton, Viola Concerto Bruckner, Symphony No. 7 in E Major Sosnoff Theater Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3, 2007, at 8 pm Tickets: $20, 30, 35 Debussy, La Mer Mahler, Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp Minor Sosnoff Theater Friday, May 4, and Saturday, May 5, 2007, at 8 pm Tickets: $20, 30, 35 17TH ANNUAL BARD MUSIC FESTIVAL: FRANZ LISZT AND HIS WORLD THE DIVERGENT PATHS OF ROMATICISM Weekend Three, October 27–28 Program One: The New German School and Musical Narrative 7 pm Preconcert Talk: Christopher H. Gibbs 8 pm Performance: Simone Dinnerstein, piano; Nardo Poy, viola; American Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Leon Botstein, music director Franz Liszt (1811–86) Les Préludes, after Lamartine Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major Totentanz Richard Wagner (1813–83), Prelude and Liebestod, from Tristan und Isolde Hector Berlioz (1803–69), Harold en Italie, Op. 16 Friday, October 27, and Saturday, October 28 Sosnoff Theater Tickets: $25, 40, 55 The Master Class: Liszt as Teacher Saturday, October 28 Olin Hall 10:00 a.m. – noon Free and open to the public Program Two: The War of the Romantics: Weimar and Leipzig 2:30 pm Preconcert Talk: Dana Gooley 3 pm Performance: Faculty and students of The Bard College Conservatory of Music Franz Liszt (1811–86) From Études d’exécution transcendante From Années de pèlerinage Johannes Brahms (1833–97), String Quintet No. 2 in G Major, Op. 111 Richard Strauss (1864–1949), Wind Serenade, Op. 7 Works by Robert Schumann (1810–56) Saturday, October 28 Sosnoff Theater Tickets: $20, 35, 45 The Hard Nut Based on “Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E. T. A. Hoffman Music by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (The Nutcracker, Op. 71) Choreographed by Mark Morris Performed by Mark Morris Dance Group and MMDG Music Ensemble Conducted by Robert Cole Set Design by Adrianne Lobel Costume Design by Martin Pakledinaz Lighting Design by James F. Ingalls Production concept based on the work of Charles Burns Sosnoff Theater Friday, December 15 and Saturday, December 16 at 8 pm Saturday, December 16 at 2 pm Sunday, December 17 at 3 pm Tickets: $25, 55, 65 Note: Children ages 5–18 accompanied by a guardian are entitled to a 20% discount off full-price tickets. # # # (09.07.06)