The Cincinnati May Festival is 139
The 139-year-old Cincinnati May Festival, oldest continuing
choral festival in the Western Hemisphere, blooms again Friday night at Music
Hall. There will be herald trumpeters, a
maypole and blossoms everywhere.
The four Music Hall programs include Carl Orff’s blockbuster “Carmina Burana,” Brahms’ "A German Requiem," some Bach and Beethoven to complete the “Three Bs,” music with a French accent (Poulenc, Duruflé) and a whole evening of Tchaikovsky (all of the latter, including arias and choruses from Tchaikovsky operas, in their May Festival premieres). There will be sacred music at the annual concert at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky.
An outstanding cadre of guest artists will perform, including sopranos Nicole Cabell, Heidi Grant Murphy, Hana Park and Tatiana Pavlovskaya, mezzo-sopranos Ronnita Nicole Miller and Elena Zaremba, tenors John Aler and Rodrick Dixon, baritones Stephen Powell and John Relyea and basses William McGraw and Yohan Yi. Cabell, Miller, Relyea and Zaremba are making their May Festival debuts.
Music director James Conlon will conduct three of the four Music Hall concerts, director of choruses Robert Porco will conduct one, and Conlon and May Festival Youth Chorus director James Bagwell will share conducting duties at the Basilica. There will be pre-concert recitals one hour before each Music Hall concert (free to ticket holders) by May Festival guest artists, accompanied by pianist Michael Chertock.
Central to it all is the May Festival Chorus, who will sing in Latin, German and Russian for the event. The May Festival Youth Chorus, led by Bagwell, will perform on the Basilica concert. English supertitles will be provided for all Music Hall concerts.
The festival opens at 8 p.m. Friday at Music Hall with “Carmina Burana.”
The 2012 Cincinnati May Festival.
May 11. 8 p.m. Music Hall. Verdi, Stabat Mater and Te Deum from “Four Sacred Pieces.” Orff, “Carmina Burana.” Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano. Rodrick Dixon, tenor. Stephen Powell, baritone. May Festival Chorus directed by Robert Porco. May Festival Youth Chorus directed by James Bagwell. Cincinnati Boychoir directed by Christopher Eanes. Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. James Conlon, conductor.
May 12. 8 p.m. Music Hall. All-French program. Poulenc, Gloria. Duruflé, Requiem, Op. 9. Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano. Ronnita Nicole Miller, mezzo-soprano. Yohan Yi, baritone. May Festival Chorus. CSO. Robert Porco, conductor.
May 13. 8 p.m. Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington. Thomas Tallis, Loquebantur. Heinrich Schutz, Unser Wandel. Arvo Pärt, Cantate Domino. Durufle, Ubi Caritas. Verdi, Ave Maria and Laudi alla vergine Maria from “Four Sacred Pieces. Gaicomo Carissimi, “Jephte.” May Festival Chorus. May Festival Youth Chorus. Members of the CSO. Heidi Grant Murphy, Hana Park, sopranos. John Aler, tenor. Yohan Yi, bass. May Festival Chorus. May Festival Youth Chorus. James Conlon, James Bagwell, conductors.
May 18. 8 p.m. Music Hall. Bach, Cantata No. 192 (“Now Thank We All Our God”). Beethoven, “Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage.” Brahms, “A German Requiem.” Nicole Cabell, soprano. John Relyea, baritone. William McGraw, bass. May Festival Chorus. CSO. James Conlon, conductor.
May 19. 8 p.m. Music Hall. All Tchaikovsky. “Moscow Cantata, “Romeo and Juliet" (Love Duet), Choruses and arias from “Eugene Onegin,” “Iolanta” and “The Queen of Spades.” Tatiana Pavlovskaya, soprano. Elena Zaremba, mezzo-soprano. Rodrick Dixon, tenor. John Relyea, baritone. May Festival Chorus. May Festival Youth Chorus. CSO. James Conlon, conductor.
Pre-concert recitals.
May 11. Ronnita Nicole Miller, mezzo-soprano.
May 12. Yohan Yi, bass-baritone.
May 18. Elena Zaremba, mezzo-soprano.
May 19. John Aler, tenor.
All recitals are at 7 p.m. at Music Hall and are accompanied by pianist Michael Chertock.
Four-concert subscriptions are $70-$390, two-concert subscriptions are $30-$210 and flexible-use vouchers, good for any four Music Hall concerts, are $170 (gallery) and $220 (orchestra and balcony). Single tickets begin at $20. Call (513) 381-3300, or order online at www.mayfestival.com
Note about parking: The new underground parking garage on Elm Street across from Music Hall (in Washington Park) is now open.
For tickets and further information about the 2012 May Festival, visit www.mayfestival.com