To Fête is to honor or entertain someone lavishly, which is what Opera Lafayette will do on Sunday with an online program that is lavish in breadth, depth, and length. OL aims to entertain its fans of 17th to 19th century opera, music, and dance and make converts. Several of the productions are new for this event and many are among OL’s best, pulled from their archives. OL’s performances are marked by carefully researched, authentic productions of this music, played on period instruments. The result is an intoxicating, pleasure-inducing beauty, and sometimes, performances that are whimsical and fun. Sunday’s program will range from classical music and dance in elegant surroundings here and abroad to an Americanized opéra comique performed in front of an historic Blacksmith Shop and barn in Colorado. Fête de la Musique is all that and more, free online for 12 hours, 8 am to 8 pm, a fine embellishment to enjoy the summer solstice and Father’s Day this Sunday, June 20.
Three faces of Opera Lafayette performances:
Photo 1 - Serious Music and Song - Laetitia Grimaldi as Proserpina and Stephanie Houtzeel as Titano in Cerere Placata. Photo by Russell Hirshorn; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.
Photo 2 - Artistic Dance - Members of the Kalanidhi Dance Company in La Foret enchantee (The Enchanted Forest). Rehearsal photo by Louis Forget; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.
Photo 3 - Whimsy and Fun - Leading the singalong taking place in the opera are Emilie Faiella as Jeannie and Arnold Livingston Geis as Cody in The Blacksmith. Photo by Paul Boyer; courtesy of Opera Lafayette.
The program for Fête de la Musique is listed below with a few comments (Update, 6/19: OL has posted a detailed program). Keep in mind that the program listed in italics is the feature performance of that hour. Each hour will be a mixed program featuring the highlighted presentation along with items such as introductions, info about Opera Lafayette, discussions, and additional recordings carefully selected from OL’s archive of performances collected over twenty years.
8:00 A.M. — “A Morning Meditation with Bach”
Bach’s Cello Suite performed on lute by Thomas Dunford, who has been referred to as the Eric Clapton of the lute. The setting will be the lovely, but little known park, Tregaron Conservancy in Washington, DC.
9:00 A.M. — “Opera Starts with Oh!”
OL’s entertaining educational program for children and their families, referred to by critic Michael Andor Brodeur of the Washington Post as “the best Zoom there is”. The guest for this performance is soprano Ariana Douglas,
10:00 A.M. — “Recital by Mezzo-Soprano Caitlin Hulcup and Pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz”
Filmed in the historic Edvard Grieg house in Leipzig and featuring works by Purcell and Britten. Ms. Hulcup starred in OL’s Radamisto, an Italian opera by Handel.
11:00 A.M. — “Premiere of The Making of: The Blacksmith Documentary”
Filmed on location: how OL brought 18th century, French composer Philidor’s opera to a live audience on a ranch in Colorado during the COVID-19 pandemic.
12:00 P.M. — “Performance of Philidor’s The Blacksmith” *
My blog report on this performance was titled “Opéra Comique Puts on a Cowboy Hat.” If you watch the film about its making, you pretty much gotta watch this one also.
1:00 P.M.— “Lamentation to Liberation: A Journey from Sorrow to Joy in 17th Century Italy”*
A compilation of works from the 17th century Italian repertoire coupled with a new work by Jonathan Woody and Reginald Mobley dealing with “a contemporary topic with the aesthetics of a renaissance motet”.
2:00 P.M. — “Solo Recital by Harpsichordist Justin Taylor”
Recorded live for Opera Lafayette’s Fête, featuring music by Couperin, Rameau, and Forqueray, played in the Salon de Musique of the beautiful mansion of the Fondation Singer-Polignac in Paris.
3:00 P.M. – “Salon Series: Opera and Dance”
OL Salon Series is based on discussions exploring topics in opera and classical music performed by Opera Lafayette. In this episode, Ryan Brown, OL Founder, Artistic Director, and Conductor, discusses opera and dance with several leading dance professionals.
4:00 P.M. — “Opera Starts with Oh!”
Another in the series for children and their families. The guest for this production is renown double bassist Motomi Igarashi.
5:00 P.M. — “In Search of Lost Time: A Performance of French Airs, Chansons and Chamber Music from Rameau to Roussel”*
With performers pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz, soprano Laetitia Grimaldi-Spitzer, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Houtzeel, and a guest appearance by OL’s flutist Charles Brink. These sopranos starred in another of OL’s rediscovered masterpieces, Jommeli’s Cerere Placata, which was conducted by Mr. Brink.
6:00 P.M. — “Salon Series: Overtures”
This discussion offers the opportunity to get to know several members of the OL Orchestra and hear them talk about their instruments.
7:00 P.M — “Anna Reinhold and Justin Taylor Recital”
Filmed in Paris, French mezzo-soprano Reinhold and harpsichordist Taylor will be adorned by the Fondation Singer-Polignac as they perform works by Strozzi, Frescobaldi, and Monteverdi, a classy end to a very classy day. This recorded performance will be premiered the day before for Opera Lafayette’s online Soirée on June 19.
*Items with an asterisk are available on demand for a fee from the OL calendar.
OL’s program is a riff on the annual Paris “Fête de la musique”, begun in 1982, borne of the French minister of culture’s idea to have a free music holiday with bands and performers on every street corner. The celebration has spread to over three hundred other countries and is known across the world today as World Music Day. The Parisian Fête and World Music Day are performed every June 21, coinciding with the summer solstice, unless of course, you live on the other side of the earth’s equator, where it is known as the winter solstice. Opera Lafayette chose to hold their Fête de la Musique the day before since June 21 falls on a Monday this year. While OL appears to be a day early, I will point out that the summer solstice this year begins at 11:31 pm eastern time on Sunday, June 20. World Music Day is also a celebration of the makers of music. A tip of the hat to Opera Lafayette and its performers for enriching the lives of its audiences for over 25 year now.
Opera Lafayette is a small opera company operating in Washington, DC, and New York City. In my opinion, it is a treasure, consistently providing entertaining and enriching arts experiences by unearthing and bringing authentic productions of rediscovered masterpieces of the 17-19th centuries to its audiences. When OL performs live, I no longer ask what’s playing; I just go and am yet to be disappointed. Getting tickets for their often sold out performances can sometimes be difficult , but we all have a chance to sample and enjoy their wares on Sunday for free.
The Fan Experience: Note that watching online is entirely free, but registration is required to log on. Opera Lafayette will then send to those who have registered an email with log on information prior to June 20. OL also plans to send out minute by minute program guidance during the 12 hour broadcast to registrants.
The events noted by an asterisk in the program listing above are currently available for pay per view on demand viewing; see the OL calendar website.