The 90-minute performance film of “Love Songs Showscape” from GORKY’S DREAM GARDEN: an opera of love, courage and modern art (presented last year at Newark Museum of Art) will be featured in this week’s Ridgewood Guild (Virtual) International Film Festival. To purchase tickets for screenings starting Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. (EST) and running through Mar. 4 at 9 a.m., click here.
Click the following links to view a flyer and read more about the production. (See below for additional media links.)
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WATCH SOME RECENT DREAM GARDENING ONLINE:
1. Trailer (5-minutes) from the show’s Chamber Concert Redux at Newark Museum of Art, fall 2019, featuring Broadway leading man Brent Barrett with Art Whisperers Bolet & Sannutto, Palisades Virtuosi, Art of Motion Dance Theatre, opera singers Hasmik Mekanejian and Karen Lubeck and a/v by NV Factory: https://youtu.be/iiV0oQ8pcRY
2. Documentary Featurette (10-minutes) SEVEN GATES TO GORKY’S DREAM GARDEN (a Quick Tour) tells of the opera’s ties to art, history, popular culture and world affairs narrated by Bolet over the show’s waltzes performed by Palisades Virtuosi + Cocktail Party (at credits): https://youtu.be/Fh_KOCAeI9Q
3. Turning Point Sorrowful Intermezzo (10-minutes) featuring the legendary late Richie Havens singing in ancient Armenian with orchestra and a preliminary Genocide Video Montage in development of the opera’s central song for its cameo role of the Chekovian “Black Monk” avatar calling our for freedom and peace (visuals of historic Armenian Genocide photos & panoramas of the Armenian lands): https://youtu.be/_hWl9T6yUJU
4. Dream Dances (5-minutes) featuring Art of Motion Dance Theatre with the show’s orchestral music on tape & slides of Gorky’s art performed at the ballroom of the St. Gregory Armenian Church of Westchester—a Community Procession of Light starts at 3:17: https://youtu.be/Ygsok7ha7kY
5. Heart Chant/Float Jam (5-minutes) featuring mezzo Hasmik Mekanejian and jam with Erik Lawrence on alto sax+drums, bass, six clarinets led by Marlon Sobol for people to come together(visuals: slides of the Armenian lands): https://youtu.be/FfHQU8di0o0
6. TV Interview with composer Michelle Ekizian & conductor/director of Armenian National Opera Ballet Theatre Constantine Orbelian (24-minutes) after opening with the opera’s Trailer, the interview starts at 4:52 where Ekizian & Orbelian discuss the work’s global relevance, innovations, evolution, conflicts, passions and plans for upcoming orchestral reveals in America & Armenia—taped on Parev TV, 2/24/21 with host Vartan Abdo (Trailer@start+Conversation@4:52): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRzcDq6AV6M
7. FIRST LOOK FLIP BOOK with storyboards, casting, reviews & more + Links at page 30: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/63424069/gorkyfirstlook