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The Irish National Opera Premieres Gerald Barry's Mrs. Streicher

Dec. 01, 2020

The Irish National Opera Premieres Gerald Barry's <em>Mrs. Streicher</em>

On December 17, Gavin Ring, tenor and Stephen Irvine, tuba, perform the online world premiere of Gerald Barry's Mrs. Streicher as part of the Irish National Opera's program, "20 Shots of Opera". Mrs. Streicher is comprised of "a setting of letters Beethoven wrote to Nannette Streicher about his laundry, food, and servant problems. He whips himself into a frenzy of paranoia and is even able to make unfavorable comparisons between his maid’s poor behavior and Christ’s suffering on Golgotha." The performance is directed by the composer himself.

Additionally, on December 5, the Lakes Area Music Festival presented the US premiere of Gerald Barry's Beethoven in a version for voice and piano as part of their program "Love Letters". Gerald Barry’s setting of this famous text is among several of his works surrounding the life of Beethoven, whom he deeply admires. Despite the desperate tone of the letter, the music is buoyant and cheerful, with references to Beethoven’s own music. The composer notes:

"The letter to the so-called “Immortal Beloved” is the only real love letter to survive from Ludwig van Beethoven. It’s one of the strangest ever written. It more or less says I love and long for you but it’s not possible. The letter is a confusion of longing and desperation, a cry for forgiveness, that she not abandon him, whatever his inability."


(Lakes Area Music Festival presents "Love Letters" featuring John Taylor Ward, bass-baritone and Scott Lykins, piano)


To learn more about Gerald Barry, visit: schott-music.com.

Gerald Barry
Mrs. Streicher (2020)
for tenor and tuba

Beethoven (2008)
for bass voice and ensemble
afl(fl).ca.cl.bcl.bsn(cbsn)-hn.tpt.tbn-pno-str(1.1.1.1.1)
18'






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