Voice Afire will showcase two of their current shows during the the week of the2012 CMA
Conferencein New York:
-
Butterfly's Trouble, Ray Luedeke's 7-performer
adaptation of Puccini's Madama Butterfly, at the 45th Street Theatre, and
-
The Art of Love /
Into the Labyrinth, a mixed media concert work by Ray Luedeke, with the Bergmann Piano
Duo, actor Charles Murray, and visuals by Ronald Hurwitz, at Merkin Hall
45th St. Theatre 354
W 45th St., Manhattan, directed by Jonathan Cerullo (Jan. 7 thru 13)
For tickets, contact the booking manager here. Or visit Ovation Tix.
Jan.
7, 8:00pm; Jan 8, 2:00pm, Jan. 10, 8:00pm, Jan. 11, 2:00pm & 8:00pm, Jan.
12, 8:00pm, Jan. 13, 8:00pm
Puccinis
belovedMadama Butterflyis transformed from grand opera to
intimate music-theatre.This
English language production uses just two singers, an actor, and four
instrumentalists (clarinet, violin, cello and synthesizer) to stunning effect.
With minimal changes to Puccinis original text and music (some of Puccinis
music has been exchanged for the spoken word), the poignant play that inspired
the opera emerges, as powerful as ever.
The
internationally known Bergmann Piano Duo and actor Charles Murray
presentThe Art of Love, Ray Luedekes original, virtuosic score
for two pianos with Ronald Hurwitzs riveting visuals, shot in Paris, and a
text adapted from Ovids infamous manual, banned for two thousand years.
This
show is by turn wildly funny and then dead serious, but always riveting and
entertaining all in the name of Love. Or is it Lust? With a first half
featuring the music of Ligeti, Bolcom, and Bergmann. At
Merkin Hall 129 W 67th St. in New York City, Monday, Jan. 9 at 8pm.
Composer Ray Luedeke was born in New York City. He attended the Eastman School of
Music, the Vienna Academy of Music, and Dartmouth College, where he
studied with George Crumb. His output is extensive and varied. It runs
the gamut from entertaining theater pieces for children, through a long
list of sophisticated solo and chamber music to colorful, carefully
crafted pieces for orchestra.
In the summer of 2007, Ray started the new music theater company, Voice Afire Pocket Opera and Cabaret, and produced three shows, each reflecting a particular passion of the composer/arranger. I Confess, I Have Lived is based on the poetry of Pablo Neruda. The Pocket Madame Butterfly is an arrangement/adaptation of Puccinis great masterpiece. Close Embrace is based on the Golden Age of Argentine Tango and reflects the fact that Ray and his wife, Dulce, are avid ballroom dancers.