THE
WEST END THEATER presents
L'AMFIPARNASO
A
madrigal comedy from 1594 by Orazio Vecchi
THE
WESTERN WIND
Sopranos:
MICHELE KENNEDY, LINDA LEE JONES
Countertenor:
WILLIAM ZUKOF
Tenors: TODD
FRIZZELL, DAVID VANDERWAL
Baritone: ELLIOT Z. LEVINE
with
Mimes: CATHERINE GASTA & ALEXANDER REED
Stage Direction by GAMA VALLE
Set Design by BRADLEY WEHRLE
Set Design by BRADLEY WEHRLE
Lighting Design by
JASON FOK
Costumes by LUIS E. SANTIAGO
Costumes by LUIS E. SANTIAGO
The
West End Theater
The Church of Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, 86th Street between Broadway and West End Ave.
The Church of Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, 86th Street between Broadway and West End Ave.
The
Western Wind ensemble of
singers sang Vecchi's madrigal comedy in delightful and witty notes
characteristic of the 16th century commedia dell'arte form. For those who don't
understand Italian, there were subtitles so one could follow the story. The
traditional comic characters including Pantalone, Pedrolino, Dr. Gratiano,
Capitano and the lovers, Isabella, Lucio, Lelio and Nisa were all interpreted
by two very skillful mimes (Catherine Gasta and Alexander Reed).
It's a madcap revue about love, hurt, lust,
greed, and playful seduction. The madrigal comedy genre was brilliantly sung by
The Western Wind as the singers had to shift quickly from character to
character in a tricky polyphonic alternation.
It's
a short run and I'd recommend to see L'Amfiparnaso
at The West End Theater. It's
not often, you see a 16th century madrigal comedy in the 21st century!
If
you miss it, then you can buy The
Western Wind CDs on their website. They're an acclaimed vocal sextet
devoted to a cappella music and their
repertoire goes from the Renaissance to medieval carols to jazz standards to
avant-garde works. They've performed all over the world at distinguished
venues, such as, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and Kennedy Center and have won
many awards, including the ASCAP-Chamber Music America Award.
-
Laura Thompson -
