Just in time for the holidays, The Hard Nut, Mark Morris's 1991 retelling of the classic tale of The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann, returns to the Bay Area for the first time in three years, with a seven-performance run at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California, starting tonight. The Mark Morris Dance Group will be joined by members of the Berkeley Symphony, led by conductor George Cleve, for the performances with the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir under the direction of Robert Geary. For the first time in Berkeley, Morris will take on the role of Dr. Stahlbaum/King. Watch a preview here.
Just in time for the holidays, The Hard Nut, Mark Morris's 1991 retelling of the classic tale of The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann, returns to the Bay Area for the first time in three years, with a seven-performance run at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, California, starting tonight and running through Sunday, December 23. The Mark Morris Dance Group will be joined by members of the Berkeley Symphony, led by conductor George Cleve, for the performances with the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir under the direction of Robert Geary. For the first time in Berkeley, Morris will take on the role of Dr. Stahlbaum/King. Watch a preview below.
“Going back to The Hard Nut is like revisiting a dear old friend. You laugh at the foibles, rejoice at the triumphs and find delight in the familiar," says the San Francisco Chronicle. "You anticipate responses, but they still evoke laughter and even, occasionally, plunge you into a moment of reflection."
The Mark Morris Dance Group first performed The Hard Nut in Brussels in January 1991 and returned in December of that year for encore performances of the piece at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, which were filmed live for PBS' Great Performances: Dance in America series. The film features accompaniment from the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie with Musical Director, Sylvain Cambreling. The DVD, released on Nonesuch in 2007, includes deleted scenes and an exclusive look behind the scenes with Mark Morris. It is available in the Nonesuch Store for just $16.49 as part of the store's fifth anniversary sale of 34% off suggested retail price on all currently release CDs, LP, and DVDs. (The final discount will be shown at checkout.)
The Berkeley run of The Hard Nut is presented by Cal Performances, whose 2012–13 concert season has already seen performances by Kronos Quartet, this season's Artists in Residence, and Laurie Anderson, as well as the international touring production of Philip Glass and Robert Wilson's opera Einstein on the Beach. The 2012–13 season will also bring performances by Fatoumata Diawara (March 30, 2013, in the Afropop Spectacular) and Sérgio and Odair Assad (April 10, with Paquito D'Rivera).
Watch a preview of The Hard Nut from Cal Performances here:
- Log in to post comments
