Lizzie B: digging deeper

Not unexpectedly there is a  lot of material out there on this most  notorious, ambiguous, shocking (unsolved?)  crime . 
 a few choices:

   Websites  thelizziebordencollection.com                          
                    lizzieandandrew.com
                    lizzieborden.com

     Youtube      Lizzie Borden Documentary
                       Arnold Brown's Theory of the Lizzie Borden Case
                       Lizzie Borden - Ed McBain's theory

       Another Lizzie   
            Agnes de Mille's ballet  FALL RIVER LEGEND  premiered in 1948. There is a DVD of a  1989 performance by The Dance Theater of Harlem with Virginia Johnson giving a powerful and eloquent portrayal of Lizzie expressed in pure movement.  The ballet with a somewhat generic score by Morton Gould is perhaps too often redolent of OKLAHOMA (choreographed by de Mille) with its jolly hoedowns and  at times a bit overly melodramatic  but  it has its strengths and it is definitely worth a look   This same performance turns up on Youtube  DANSE THEATRE OF HARLEM "FALL RIVER LEGEND"

      

Worldwide Timeline of 1790

Ever wonder what the world was like in 1790? Here is a snapshot of major events around the world in the same year Mozart premiered Così Fan Tutte:

January 8th - 1st US President George Washington delivers 1st state of the union address

January 26th - Mozart's opera Così Fan Tutte premieres at the Burg Theatre in Vienna

February 1st – US Supreme Court convenes for 1st time in NYC

February 4th – Louis XVI accepts the constitution drafted by French revolutionaries and declares to the National Assembly that he will maintain the new constitutional laws

March 22nd - Thomas Jefferson becomes the 1st US Secretary of State

March 27th - The modern shoelace is invented in England

April 17th – Ben Franklin dies in Philadelphia at the age of 84 

July 3rd – In Paris, the Marquis of Condorcet proposed granting civil rights to women.

July 9 – Russo-Swedish War: The Swedish navy captured one third of the Russian fleet at the naval battle of Svensksund in the Baltic Sea.

July 17th – Economist Adam Smith, Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economy, dies

August 1st - 1st US census (population of 3,939,214; 697,624 are slaves)

November 11th – Chrysanthemums are introduced into England from China

Unknown date – Emmanuel Kant published his "Critique of Judgement." His analysis of the nature of art and aesthetic experience proved to be a major influence on modern ideas

Unknown date – Beethoven composed his "Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II"

Unknown date – Pineapples are introduced to the Sandwich Islands (now known as Hawaii)

Digging Deeper: Reading & Listening ideas for “Così Fan Tutte”

From the very plentiful expanse of books and CD recordings about COSI and Mozart, just  a few suggestions (and admittedly very personal favorites) for each:

Books:
MOZART the DRAMATIST by Brigid Brophy 
Written in 1964 and revised in 1980
Published in paperback by Libris in 1998
The subtitle of this important and influential  book,  "The value of his operas to him, to his age and to us" shows much of the intent of this study. An emphasis is placed on a Freudian view of the operas (she is the author of an excellent study of Freud and literature- BLACK SHIP TO HELL - 1962) as well as being, in part, a feminist critique. It is a very personal, rather idiosyncratic, sharply written and compelling view of Mozart. It thus reflects the  intriguing complexity of the author herself. Brophy is an acclaimed and somewhat controversial  novelist, a serious  literary critic, a political activist, and a crusader for the rights of authors. She died of multiple  sclerosis in 1995 having lived with - and movingly  written about - the disease for 14 years.

MOZART and the ENLIGHTENMENT by Nichols Till   
Published by  W W Norton and Co. paperback edition 1995
Again a subtitle "Truth, Virtue and Beauty  in Mozart's Operas"  tells much.  Till sets the operas in their social, political, biographical, psychological contexts, examines the dramatic emergence of a modern society in 18th century Europe and reappraises the history and meaning of the Enlightenment and Mozart's role within it. Erudite, illuminating and eminently readable, it is "A dazzling tapestry"  [London Times Literary Supplement].

CDS:
COSI FAN TUTTE   
Conducted by Rene Jacobs 
Concerto Koln, Harmonia Mundi recording  1998
Rene Jacobs' series of Mozart  opera recordings have stirred up controversy, extravagant praise, and serious  critical venom. At their best (and I think his FIGARO  heads the list) they are vital, theatrical, bold, risk taking  - and COSI is an excellent example of these qualities. Not populated  with stars in the sense of other COSIs  out there (Fleming, Ti Kawana, von Otter, Schwarzkopf, Ludwig - to mention only the ladies) his cast works with him and the period orchestra to bring to astonishing  life the incomparable score. The accompanying booklet is rich in essays and a fascinating interview with Jacobs.

COSI FAN TUTTE  
Conducted by Charles Mackerras 
Orchestra of the Enlightenment 
Recorded by Chandos
This recording stands out for several reasons. It is sung in English - and in the English version that BLO is using. (Although as I have been receiving notes from rehearsal I see  there have been many changes in words as the singers worked their way into the parts and made the text their own) Also the role of Don Alfonso is elegantly sung by Tom Allen (who of course is directing the BLO COSI  as well). In this recording, Mackerras is a fine Mozartian, the cast made up of top English singers in good form  (Janice Watson, Diane Montague,Toby Spence, Christopher Maltman) and the result is eminently enjoyable. Like the Jacobs  CD above there is an excellent introductory essay and a illuminating interview with the conductor. 


~Dr. Von Lyric