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  • Bolshoi Ballet: Jewels

     

    Music: Gabriel Fauré (Emeralds), Igor Stravinsky (Rubies), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Diamonds)
    Choreography: George Balanchine

    This opulent triptych was inspired by Balanchine’s visit to the famous jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels on New York’s Fifth Avenue, celebrating the cities and dance schools of Paris, New York and St. Petersburg, each bound to its own precious stone. With this first abstract ballet, Balanchine built an homage of captivating beauty to the dance schools that had forged his style: Paris, New York, and St Petersburg, each represented by a contrasting jewel: emerald, ruby, and diamond. Jewels offers a unique occasion to enjoy Balanchine’s visually captivating work, as the Bolshoi is only company authorized by the Balanchine Trust to film and broadcast his masterpiece. Starring Olga Smirnova, Semyon Chudin, Vladislav Lantratov, Anna Tikhomirova, Ekaterina Krysanova, and the Bolshoi Corps de Ballet.

  • Bolshoi Ballet: Spartacus (Broadcast Live in HD)

    Music Aram Kachaturian
    Choreography Yuri Grigorovich

     In ancient Rome, Spartacus, a Thracian king, is turned captive by Crassus with his wife Phrygia. Forced to fight as a gladiator and kill one of his friends, Spartacus plots an unprecedented upheaval. Grigorovich’s Spartacus was created at the Bolshoi in 1968 and has since remained the Russian company’s signature ballet. This most spectacular production is an epic tour de force, giving full expression to the virility and strength for which the Bolshoi’s male dancers are renowned. Principal dancer Mikhail Lobukhin is stunning in the role of the legendary gladiator, along with Svetlana Zakharova as Aegina and Vladislav Lantratov as Crassus.

  • Aquila Theatre’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

    The legendary sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, takes the stage in this witty, fast paced production by the acclaimed Aquila Theatre.

    The clever Holmes skillfully maneuvers the twisted web of London’s most intriguing cases with his split second deductions revealing intimate and useful details of a person’s life. Sherlock Holmes is a master of disguise and a brilliant actor, as well as a composer and musician-is there anything he can’t do? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s vivid characters jump from the page weaving a tale of mystery, suspense and intrigue. In addition to Holmes, many of Doyle’s other well known creations are on hand; the trusted sidekick Dr. Watson, Irene Adler, the woman who got away, and the only woman to have won Holmes’s respect, the red-headed mason Jabez Wilson. Doyle, in addition to being a renowned author, was a physician and he infused Holmes with terrific skills in forensic science and logical reasoning.

    One hundred and twenty five years after his debut, Sherlock Holmes remains the definitive and most famous detective in world literature. The Aquila Theatre brings it’s energetic and physical style to this new adaptation. With actors drawn from the top British and American stages, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a thrilling and memorable ride.

    For more information: http://www.aquilatheatre.com

     

  • Cowboy Junkies

    It’s been 30 years since the Cowboy Junkies led by siblings Margo, Michael and Peter Timmins on vocals, guitar and drums respectively, plus Alan Anton on bass —performed their first
    gigs at various Toronto clubs. For three decades, the Cowboy Junkies have remained true to their unique artistic vision and to the introspective, quiet intensity that is their musical signature, creating a critically acclaimed body of original work that has endeared them to an audience unwavering in its loyalty.

    Joined by multi-instrumentalist Jeff Bird, the core Cowboy quartet returns to Monmouth for a retrospective of their three decades playing (and listening to) all manifestations of popular music. Expect an evening that runs the gamut from the folky intimacy of the band’s earliest efforts, to an always surprising selection of covers (Springsteen, Stones, Talking Heads, The Cure) — although to be sure, simply delivering “the expected” has never been part of the Cowboy Junkies playbook.

  • MET OPERA: Les Pêcheurs de Perles (Encore)

    Bizet’s gorgeous opera of lust and longing set in the Far East returns to the Met stage for the first time in 100 years. Soprano Diana Damrau stars as Leïla, the beautiful Hindu priestess pursued by rival pearl divers competing for her hand. Her suitors are tenor Matthew Polenzani and baritone Mariusz Kwiecien, who sing the lilting duet “Au fond du temple saint,” which opera fans know and adore. Director Penny Woolcock explores the timeless themes of pure love, betrayal, and vengeance in a production that vividly creates an undersea world on the stage of the Met. Conductor Gianandrea Noseda brings his romantic flair to the lush score from the composer of Carmen.
     
     
    Tickets on sale Friday, July 24

  • MET OPERA: Turandot (Encore)

    Nina Stemme, one of opera’s greatest dramatic sopranos, takes on the title role of the proud princess of legendary China. Tenor Marco Berti is Calàf, the brave prince who sings “Nessun dorma” and wins her hand. Franco Zeffirelli’s golden production is conducted by Paolo Carignani.

    Tickets on sale Friday, July 24

  • MET OPERA: Manon Lescaut (Encore)

    The Met stage ignites when soprano Kristine Opolais and tenor Roberto Alagna join forces in Puccini’s obsessive love story. Opolais sings the title role of the country girl who transforms herself into a Parisian temptress, while Roberto Alagna is the dashing student who desperately woos her. Director Richard Eyre places the action in occupied France in a film noir setting. “Desperate passion” is the phrase Puccini himself used to describe the opera that confirmed his position as the preeminent Italian opera composer of his day. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leads the stirring score.

  • MET OPERA: Madama Butterfly (Encore)

    Anthony Minghella’s breathtaking production has thrilled audiences ever since its premiere in 2006. One of the world’s foremost Butterflys, soprano Kristine Opolais, takes on the title role, and Roberto Alagna sings Pinkerton, the naval officer who breaks Butterfly’s heart. Karel Mark Chichon conducts.

    Tickets on sale Friday, July 24

  • ART NOW: Eric Barry Drasin and Phillip David Stearns

    Demonstration: 4:30 pm Rechnitz Hall room 216

    Artist Lecture: 6:00 pm Wilson Auditorium

    Eric Barry Drasin is a Brooklyn-based artist, musician and curator working at the intersection of digital media, performance and installation. Rooted in the Expanded Cinema tradition, his work explores the relationship between composition, interface, performance, score, and synesthetic audiovisual systems.

    Eric Barry Drasin’s website

    Phillip David Stearns is also based in Brooklyn. His work is centered on the use of electronic technologies and electronic media to explore dynamic relationships between ideas and material. Deconstruction, reconfiguration, and extension are key methodologies and techniques employed in the production of works that range from audio visual performances, electronic sculptures, light and sound installation, digital textiles, and other oddities both digital and material. 

    Phillip David Stearn’s website

    Eric and Phil will give a joint artist lecture as well as lead a demonstration of their tools and techniques.

  • Visiting Writer: Alex Gilvarry

    Alex Gilvarry is the author of the novel, From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant (Viking). He was selected as a “5 Under 35” nominee by the National Book Foundation in 2014 and received the Hornblower Award at the 2012 New York City Book Awards. He has been a Norman Mailer fellow and a visiting scholar at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, Austin. His essays and criticism have appeared in Vogue, The Nation, Boston Globe, and have been broadcast on NPR’s All Things Considered. His next novel, Eastman Was Here, is forthcoming from Viking/Penguin in 2016. He is the Artist-in-Residence at Monmouth University where he teaches creative writing.