The University of Chicago Presents Welcomes Ensemble Dialogos and Katarina Livljanic in U.S. Premiere of Judith
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 28, 2008
Contact:
Ian Martínez, Director of Communications
imartinez@uchicago.edu
(773) 834-7965
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESENTS WELCOMES ENSEMBLE DIALOGOS AND KATARINA LIVLJANIC IN U.S. PREMIERE OF JUDITH
CHICAGO - Medieval music ensemble Dialogos, along with ensemble director and vocalist Katarina Livljanic, will perform the U.S. premiere of its most recent production, Judith, on Friday, November 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Hyde Park Union Sanctuary, 5600 S. Woodlawn Avenue. A semi-staged dramatic production, Judith involves two instrumentalists and vocals sung in Croatian with English supertitles.
Drawing its origins from medieval Dalmatia, a region located on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, Judith is a musical reconstruction of Gregorian, Beneventan and Glagolitic chants from as early as the 11th century. The text, taken primarily from 16th century verses by poet Marko Marulic and the Croatian Agonies, centers around the biblical story of Judith, found in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Old Testament, and the liberation of the Israelites from the Assyrians.
Over the course of the emotional hour-long production, Livljanic employs a broad range of vocal nuances to personify not only Judith, the devout Hebrew woman, but also the Assyrian general Holofernes and the inner demons of the two characters. Accompanied by fiddle, lirica (a traditional Croatian string instrument) and ancient flutes, Livljanic leads the ensemble through a tale of inner struggle, violent betrayal and pious devotion.
The November 7 performance of Judith in Chicago, part of its North American tour, marks the U.S. premiere. Since its 2006 debut, the production has received rave reviews throughout Europe, including from the Zagreb Vjesnik, which described Judith as "a complete and total experience which one can follow very intensively in one breath." In addition, one reviewer from the Croatian daily Jutarnji list said, "I have never seen or heard anything so powerful, yet created with so few elements."
Singer and musicologist Katarina Livljanic is considered one of the world's premiere specialists of medieval chant performance. As the creator and director of Dialogos, she has been awarded by the president of Croatia for her contributions to cultural achievement. Originally from Croatia, Livljanic earned a PhD in musicology from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris, specializing in medieval chant manuscripts from Southern Italy. Beyond her association with Dialogos, she is Maître de conferences in medieval music at the Sorbonne in Paris. She also performs as a vocalist with the Sequentia and Alla Francesca ensembles. Since 2007 she has been a Cornille Visiting Professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
Founded in 1997, Dialogos has become a world-renowned medieval music ensemble, utilizing a unique blend of performance and theatrical production. Comprised of men's and women vocal ensembles, as well as instrumentalists, Dialogos has toured throughout Europe, North America and Latin America, and has been featured on radio and television broadcasts. Among the ensemble's recordings, Tondal's Vision was the recipient of the 2004 Diapason d'Or and the 2005 Coup de Coeur. Dialogos' production of Judith won the 2007 Croatian Split Festival award for best musical performance. Dialogos is currently in a three-year residency at the Ambronay Cultural Centre.
TICKETS for this concert are $32 for general public or $5 for students with a valid ID and can be purchased by calling the Concert Office at (773) 702-8068 or visiting 5720 S. Woodlawn Avenue on the University of Chicago campus.
Friday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Judith, a biblical story from Renaissance Croatia
Hyde Park Union Sanctuary, 5600 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago
Katarina Livljanic, voice, direction
Albrecht Maurer, fiddle, lirica
Norbert Rodenkirchen, flutes
Staging, scenography and costumes: Sanda Herzic
Lighting design and direction: Marie Bellot
Philological advisor: Bratislav Lucin
The University of Chicago Presents is one of the city's landmark classical music presenters on the campus of the University of Chicago in the heart of the city's South Side. Among the musical legends who made their debuts at Mandel Hall are violinist Isaac Stern, guitarist Andres Segovia, soprano Cecilia Bartoli and The Juilliard String Quartet.
UCP offers five concert series--Classic Concert, the Howard Mayer Brown International Early Music, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Artists-in-Residence Series featuring the Pacifica String Quartet, and the Contempo series.
TICKETS: By phone with credit card at (773) 702-8068; minimum $10 charge
In person with cash, check or credit card, weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Office of Professional Concerts, 5720 S. Woodlawn Ave.
- At Mandel Box Office after 6:30 p.m. on concert day
- By email at chicagopresents@uchicago.edu
PARKING: Street or free in lot at 55th Street and Ellis Avenue
DISABILITIES: Persons with disabilities or who otherwise need assistance may call the Office of Professional Concerts at (773) 702-8068 prior to the concert, but no later than 3 p.m. on concert day.
PHOTOS: Photos of the artists may be obtained upon request to the University of
Chicago Presents at (773) 834-7965, or by fax at (773) 834-5888.
To download pictures directly from the web site, visit
chicagopresents.uchicago.edu/news/photos.
ONLINE: chicagopresents.uchicago.edu
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