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Once banned by the Nazis, Halevy's opera "La Juive" has undergone a surprisingly successful revival that owes much to the efforts of Brooklyn-born tenor Neil Shicoff, who sang the central role of Eleazar at Vienna State Opera in 1999 and at Metropolitan Opera in New York last November. Now, the story of Shicoff's efforts is the subject of a documentary film, "Finding Eléazar," directed by Paula Heil Fisher and being screened at the Tribeca Film Festival this week. Fisher and Shicoff join us today to discuss the drama behind the drama. We're also joined by Joanne Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, who has experienced her own struggles in the classical-music world, as a female in a male-dominated profession. She'll discuss some of those with us today, and talk about the Buffalo band’s busy season which includes a new disc on the Naxos American Classics series and an upcoming Carnegie Hall performance.
Additional Resources:
» Tribeca Film Festival Web site
» Buffalo Philharmonic Web site