Over the past twelve years Palisades Virtuosi has created many concerts that bring together pieces of music to illustrate a theme. "Music Born of Adversity" includes works that were inspired by a multitude of life's emotions and that run the gamut of life experience from illness and situational conflict to unrequited love and racial subjugation.
Our first work,“L’Operation de Taille” by Marin Marais (1656-1728), tells the story of one person’s trepidation upon facing an 18th Century (YIKES!! - where’s the anesthesia??) bladder stone operation, complete with narrator to tell the tale and PV’s own interpretation of the existing continuo parts. The operation is described throughout a recitativo-like section and then once the patient has gone to rest, a joyous finale ensues.
We are delighted to present selections from Michelle Ekizian’s (b. 1956) new opera, Gorky’s Dream Garden, on the life of Arshile Gorky, the Armenian-American painter (b. 1904, Van, Turkey, d. 1948, Sherman, Ct.)--a founding father of abstract-expressionism and child witness to.... continue reading ....
