ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.— The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College presents Giuseppe Verdi’s monumental work Messa da Requiem, on Friday, April 25 and Saturday, 26 at 8 p.m. The program is conducted by Leon Botstein, music director, with 
James Bagwell, chorus master, and features members of the American Symphony Orchestra, Bard College Conservatory Orchestra, Longy Conservatory Orchestra and the Longy Chorale, Bard College Chamber Singers, and Bard Festival Chorale, with Jennifer Check, soprano; Sara Murphy, mezzo-soprano; Brian Cheney, tenor; and Wayne Tigges, baritone. The performance takes place in the Fisher Center’s acoustically superb Sosnoff Theater. There will be a preconcert talk at 7 p.m. by Peter Laki, visiting associate professor of music at Bard College. Additional program information can be found at fishercenter.bard.edu. Tickets are $20 and $15, and can be ordered online at fishercenter.bard.edu or by calling the box office at 845-758-7900.

The performance is dedicated to the memory of William Weaver (1923–2013), professor emeritus of literature, Bard College.

According to Laki, apart from Verdi’s operas, Requiem is considered by far his most important work. “Verdi felt a spiritual need to write his Requiem. Unlike most of the operas, the Mass of the Dead was not commissioned by anyone else; the composition was Verdi’s own initiative, a project that occupied him for several years during which time he wrote no new operas. … This monumental work forms so much of a piece: from the opening ‘Requiem aeternam’ to the final ‘Libera me’ it forms a single, bold musical arch, with a vast array of emotions—indeed, a comprehensive vision of life and death.” 

To download high-resolution images go to fishercenter.bard.edu/press/photos/.

For tickets and additional information about these programs contact the Fisher Center box office at [email protected], or call 845-758-7900.

About The Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College

Named for the late Richard B. Fisher, the former chair of Bard’s Board of Trustees, the Fisher Center has become an influential force in performing arts programming, earning critical acclaim for innovative productions of opera, orchestral, chamber, dance, and theater programs. The Center was designed by legendary architect Frank Gehry and distinguished acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, and has received international praise for its breathtaking architecture and superb sound. 

Each summer the Fisher Center presents the Bard SummerScape festival, eight weeks of performing arts programs reflecting the life and times of the featured composer of the esteemed Bard Music Festival, now celebrating its 25th year. Fall and spring seasons include original productions, special one-night-only concerts, and touring artists from around the globe.

The Fisher Center is home to the Bard College Theater & Performance and Dance Programs, providing students access to exceptional theater facilities and opportunities to work with professional directors and dramaturges on publicly attended productions throughout the year. Live Arts Bard, a residency and commissioning program, is a laboratory for professional artists in theater, dance, and performance to test ideas and develop new projects, many of which premiere at the Fisher Center. The Bard College Conservatory of Music and the Bard College Music Program stage regular orchestral and chamber concerts.

 

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