Friday, March 11, 2016, 8pm Saturday, March 12, 2016, 8pm Sunday, March 13, 2016, 3pm Zellerbach Hall L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato Mark Morris Dance Group Chelsea Acree Sam Black Durell R. Comedy Rita Donahue Domingo Estrada, Jr. Lesley Garrison Lauren Grant Brian Lawson Aaron Loux Laurel Lynch Stacy Martorana Dallas McMurray Brandon Randolph Nicole Sabella Billy Smith Noah Vinson Jenn Weddel Michelle Yard Janelle Barry Patrick Coker Brandon Cournay Derek Crescenti Amber Star Merkens Maile Okamura Wendy Joy Reinert UtafumiTakemura Nicholas Wagner Mark Morris, artistic director Nancy Umanoff, executive director with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale Nicholas McGegan, music director and Sherezade Panthaki soprano Yulia Van Doren soprano Thomas Cooley tenor Douglas Williams baritone This performance is made possible, in part, by Patron Sponsors Patricia and Anthony Theophilos. Cal Performances’ 2015–2016 season is sponsored by Wells Fargo. PLAYBILL PROGRAM L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato Music George Frideric Handel (1685 –1759) Libretto Pastoral ode after poems by John Milton, rearranged by Charles Jennens Conductor Nicholas McGegan Choreography Mark Morris Set Design Adrianne Lobel Costume Design Christine Van Loon Lighting Design James F. Ingalls SOLOISTS Sherezade Panthaki soprano Yulia Van Doren soprano Thomas Cooley tenor Douglas Williams baritone Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale DANCERS Janelle Barry*, Sam Black, Patrick Coker, Durell R. Comedy, Brandon Cournay, Derek Crescenti* , Rita Donahue, Domingo Estrada, Jr., Lesley Garrison, Lauren Grant, Brian Lawson, Aaron Loux, Laurel Lynch, Stacy Martorana, Dallas McMurray, Amber Star Merkens, Maile Okamura, Brandon Randolph, Wendy Joy Reinert, Nicole Sabella, Billy Smith, Utafumi Takemura, Noah Vinson, Nicholas Wagner, Jenn Weddel, Michelle Yard *understudy Premiere: November 23, 1988, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels, Belgium Overture: G.F. Handel, Concerto Grosso in G Major, Op. 6, No. 1, A tempo giusto – Allegro There will be one 20-minute intermission. LIBRETTO L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato Pastoral ode after poems by John Milton (1608 –1674) Rearranged by Charles Jennens (1700 –1773) PART THE FIRST L’Allegro L’Allegro Air Accompagnato Haste thee nymph, and bring with thee Hence, loathèd Melancholy, Jest and youthful Jollity, Of Cerberus, and blackest midnight born Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles, In Stygian Cave forlorn Nods, and becks, and wreathèd smiles, ‘Mongst horrid shapes, and shrieks, Such as hang on Hebe’s cheek, and sights unholy And love to live in dimple sleek; Find out some uncouth cell, Sport, that wrinkled Care derides, Where brooding Darkness spreads And Laughter, holding both his sides. her jealous wings And the night-Raven sings; Chorus There under Ebon shades, Haste thee nymph, and bring with thee and low-brow’d rocks, Jest, and youthful Jollity; As ragged as thy Locks, Sport, that wrinkled Care derides, In dark Cimmerian desert, ever dwell. And Laughter, holding both his sides. Il Penseroso L’Allegro Accompagnato Air Hence, vain deluding Joys, Come, and trip it as you go, Dwell in some idle brain, On the light fantastic toe. And fancies fond with gaudy shapes possess, As thick and numberless Chorus As the gay motes that people the Sun Beams, Come, and trip it as you go, Or likest hov’ring dreams On the light fantastic toe. The fickle Pensioners of Morpheus’ train. Il Penseroso L’Allegro Accompagnato Air Come, pensive Nun, devout and pure, Come, thou Goddess fair and free, Sober, steadfast and demure; In heav’n yclept Euphrosyne; All in a robe of darkest grain, And by men heart-easing Mirth, Flowing with majestic train. Whom lovely Venus, at a birth, With two sister-Graces more, Arioso To ivy-crowned Bacchus bore. Come, but keep thy wonted state, With even step, and musing gait; Il Penseroso And looks commercing with the skies, Air Thy rapt soul sitting in thine eyes. Come rather, Goddess, sage and holy; Hail, divinest Melancholy, Accompagnato Whose saintly visage is too bright There held in holy passion still, To hit the sense of human sight; Forget thyself to marble, till Thee bright-hair’d Vesta long of yore, With a sad leaden downward cast To solitary Saturn bore. Thou fix them on the earth as fast. PLAYBILL LIBRETTO Arioso L’Allegro And join with thee calm Peace and Quiet, Recitative Spare Fast, that oft with gods doth diet, If I give thee honour due, And hears the Muses in a ring Mirth, admit me of thy crew! Round about Jove’s altar sing. Air Chorus Mirth, admit me of thy crew! Join with thee calm Peace and Quiet, To listen how the hounds and horn Spare Fast, that oft with gods doth diet. Cheerly rouse the slumb’ring morn, From the side of some hoar hill, L’Allegro Through the high wood echoing shrill. Recitative Hence, loathèd Melancholy, Il Penseroso In dark Cimmerian desert ever dwell Air But hast thee, Mirth, and bring with thee Oft, on a plat of rising ground, The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty. Hear the far-off Curfew sound, And if I give thee honour due, Over some wide-water’d shore, Mirth, admit me of thy crew. Swinging slow, with sullen roar; Of, if the air will not permit, Air Some still removèd place will fit, Mirth, admit me of thy crew Where the glowing embers, through To live with her, and live with thee, the room, In unreprovèd pleasures free; Teach light to counterfeit a gloom. To hear the lark begin his flight, And singing startle the dull night; Air Then to come in spite of sorrow, Far from all resort of Mirth, And at my window bid good morrow. Save the cricket on the hearth, Mirth, admit me of thy crew. Or the bellman’s drowsy charm, To bless the doors from nightly harm. Il Penseroso Accompagnato L’Allegro First, and chief, on golden wing, Recitative The cherub Contemplation bring; If I give thee honour due, And the mute Silence hist along, Mirth, admit me of thy crew! ‘Less Philomel will deign a song, In her sweetest, saddest plight, Air Smoothing the rugged brow of Night. Let me wander, not unseen By the hedgerow elms, on hillocks green: Air There the ploughman, near at hand, Sweet bird, that shun’st the noise of folly, Whistles over the furrow’d land, Most musical, most melancholy! And the milkmaid singeth blithe, Thee, chantress, oft the woods among, And the mower whets his scythe, I woo to hear thy evensong. And every shepherd tells his tale Or, missing thee, I walk unseen, Under the hawthorn in the dale. On the dry smooth-shaven green, To behold the wand’ring moon Riding near her highest noon. Sweet bird… LIBRETTO Il Moderato Air Air Sometimes let gorgeous Tragedy Each action will derive new grace In sceptred pall come sweeping by, From order, measure, time and place; Presenting Thebes, or Pelops’ line, Till Life the goodly structure rise Or the tale of Troy divine; In due proportion to the skies. Or what, though rare, of later age Ennobled hath the buskin’d stage. L’Allegro Accompagnato Recitative Mountains, on whose barren breast Thus, Night oft sees me in thy pale career, The lab’ring clouds do often rest; Till unwelcome Morn appear. Meadows trim with daisies pied, Shallow brooks, and rivers wide L’Allegro Tow’rs and battlements it sees, Solo Bosm’d high in tufted trees. Populous cities please me then, And the busy hum of men. Air Or let the merry bells ring round, Chorus And the jocund rebeck sound Populous cities please us then, To many a youth, and many a maid, And the busy hum of men. Dancing in the checquer’d shade. Where throngs of knights and barons Bold, In weeds of peace high triumphs hold; Chorus With stores of ladies, whose bright eyes And young and old come forth to play Rain influence, and judge the prize On a sunshine holyday, Of wit, or arms, while both contend Till the livelong daylight fail, To win her grace, whom all commend. Thus past the day, to bed they creep, Populous cities… By whisp’ring winds soon lull’d asleep. Air There let Hymen oft appear PART THE SECOND In saffron robe, with taper clear, And pomp, and feast, and revelry, Il Penseroso With mask, and antique pageantry; Accompagnato Such sights as youthful poets dream Hence, vain deluding Joys, On summer eves by haunted stream. The brood of Folly without Father bred! How little you bested, Il Penseroso Or fill the fixed mind with all your toys! Accompagnato Oh! Let my lamp, at midnight hour, Me, when the sun begins to fling Be seen in some high lonely tow’r, His flaring beams, me goddess bring Where I may oft out-watch the Bear To archèd walks of twilight groves, With thrice-great Hermes, or unsphere And shadows brown that Sylvan loves; The spirit of Plato to unfold There, in close covert, by some brook, What worlds, or what vast regions hold Where no profaner eye may look. Th’immortal mind that hath forsook Her mansion in this fleshly nook. Air Hide me from day’s garish eye, While the bee with honey’d thigh, PLAYBILL LIBRETTO Which at her flow’ry work doth sing, With antique pillars’ massy proof, And the waters murmuring, And story’d windows richly dight, With such consorts as they keep Casting a dim religious light. Entice the dewy-feather’d sleep; And let some strange mysterious dream Chorus Wave at his wings in airy stream There let the pealing organ blow Of lively portraiture display’d, To the full voic’d choir below, Softly on my eyelids laid. In service high and anthem clear! Then as I wake, sweet music breathe, And let their sweetness, through mine ear, Above, about, or underneath, Dissolve me into ecstasies, Sent by some spirit to mortals good, And bring all Heav’n before mine eyes! Or th’unseen genius of the wood.