wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

Soundcheck

Thursday, March 11, 2004
  • Gil Morgenstern (9 Circles Chamber Theatre) & Claire Chase (photo by Michael Chipman)
    Gil Morgenstern (9 Circles Chamber Theatre) | Claire Chase (Michael Chipman)

    The Fiddler of the Opera

    At its 1877 premiere, Saint-Saëns' opera Samson et Dalila was viewed as a sacrilegious transformation of biblical scripture, and theater managers avoided it as box-office poison. But it's become perfect grist for the Nine Circles Chamber Theatre, an adventurous young troupe that is presenting an hour-long condensation of the work this weekend at Symphony Space. The production features violinist Gil Morgenstern who "sings" Samson, and joins us with a preview. Another up-and-coming group that straddles the boundary between chamber music and theater is the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), which is presenting Peter Maxwell Davies's landmark Eight Songs for a Mad King, a depiction of several events from King George III's infamous descent into insanity. ICE co-founder Claire Chase joins us with a preview. Finally, writer and composer Danny Felsenfeld drops by with our weekly CD review.

The Ill Effects of Urban Noise

Soundcheck

Soundcheck received an overwhelming response to our segment on the effects of urban noise. So much so that Arline Bronzaft decided to address the feedback. Listen to the original segment and read Bronzaft's response.