calendario eventi  :: 

X

20/8/2008

El Greco to Velazquez

Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, NC

DURHAM, N.C. -- The Nasher Museum of Art’s upcoming exhibition “El Greco to Velázquez: Art during the Reign of Philip III” has inspired a celebration of the Golden Age of Spain throughout the Research Triangle region.
Cultural institutions, restaurants and tourism officials are planning ways to complement the first comprehensive exhibition of art made for this Spanish court 400 years ago. They include a new symphony piece, a new ballet, musical performances and cooking classes, among other activities.

The North Carolina Symphony has commissioned composer Stephen Jaffe to write a piece based on the exhibition and the music of El Greco’s time. Jaffe is the Mary and James H. Semans Professor of Music Composition at Duke and has fulfilled commissions from the National Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Fromm Foundation at Harvard University and Oregon Bach Festival. The symphony will perform Jaffe’s work in concerts in Chapel Hill and Raleigh Oct. 2-4.

“We’re excited to be a part of this tapestry of events which weaves together so many parts of our artistic community,” says North Carolina Symphony president and CEO David Chambless Worters. “Multi-faceted partnerships like this, under the Nasher Museum’s leadership, show the world how integrated the arts are into North Carolina culture.”

Robert Weiss, artistic director of Carolina Ballet, will create a new ballet, “Don Quixote,” based on the Cervantes novel of the same name, with choreography in the style of Spanish painters during the reign of Philip III.

“I see a ballet that combines the elements of these great painters with Cervantes’ wonderful story as a poetic evocation, a dreamscape and a chance to push the boundaries -– to take classical ballet in a new direction,” Weiss said.

Carolina Performing Arts will present Spaniard Jordi Savall, the world’s preeminent viola da gamba performer, and his ensemble, Barcelona-based Hesperion XXI, to complement “El Greco to Velázquez.” Savall and his ensemble are noted for scholarship in early music, especially that of 16th- and 17th-century Spain. The performance Oct. 23 at the UNC-Chapel Hill’s Memorial Hall will feature music inspired by Don Quixote and the Spanish Renaissance.

“It will be a colorful musical journey,” said Emil J. Kang, director of Carolina Performing Arts. “Savall conceived and meticulously researched the work to richly display the great musical treasure of the day that Cervantes preserved in his classic and enduring tale.”

Duke Performances will present “Dream Visions from the Spanish High Renaissance,” a performance by the Tallis Scholars, the acclaimed Renaissance vocal group.

The statewide public television network UNC-TV is producing a 30-minute documentary about the exhibition, with footage from Spain that will provide historical background, insights into the painting motifs and techniques of the period, and a visual introduction to the layout and scope of the exhibition. The documentary will air numerous times throughout North Carolina during the exhibition.

School groups and university professors are building curricula around “El Greco to Velazquez.” Durham County Library is planning free programs to engage readers with this period of art history. Books and other materials that complement the exhibit will be available at the library.

Local restaurants are planning tapas menus, wine tastings and cooking classes inspired by Spain, past and present. Restaurant partners include Fairview Dining Room at the Washington Duke Inn, Four Square, G-Loft, George’s Garage and Parizade in Durham; and Elaine’s on Franklin and Spice Street in Chapel Hill. A Southern Season and Weathervane Restaurant in Chapel Hill plans classes, tasting and a wine dinner, and the Wine Authorities in Durham plans two Spanish wine tasting events. Local hotels are offering special packages to out-of-town visitors: Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club, Durham Marriott at the Civic Center, Millennium Hotel Durham and the R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center at Duke.

Among the works of two giants of Spanish art, “El Greco to Velázquez: Art during the Reign of Philip III” will introduce unknown masters of painting and sculpture. The exhibition includes 52 master paintings, including seven late works by El Greco, three early works by Velázquez and works by their contemporaries. The exhibition will be the largest-ever assemblage of international loans of Spanish art in the Southeast, includes monumental altar pieces, life-sized portraits, some of the earliest still-life paintings in Europe, full-length carved and painted wooden sculptures of Spanish saints and more than 50 pieces of period glass and ceramics. Many works are traveling to this country for the first time, some from major museums and some from the churches for which they were originally commissioned.

When “El Greco to Velázquez” opens Aug. 21, museum hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is closed on Mondays except for two Member Monday events, on Sept. 8 and Nov. 3, when a limited number of tickets will be available to museum members at the door.

The museum’s admission price for “El Greco to Velázquez” is $15 for adults, $5 for children ages 7 to 17, $5 for students and $5 for Duke faculty, staff and students. Children 6 and under are free. Nasher Museum members receive free tickets, depending on the level of membership. Visitors may purchase an Antenna Audio guide complementing the exhibition, in English or Spanish, for $3.
Visitors can purchase tickets by visiting the Nasher Museum’s information desk, visiting the Duke University Box Office, going to http://www.tickets.duke.edu or calling (919) 660-1701.

For more information, go to http://www.nasher.duke.edu/elgreco or call 684-0700.
The exhibition will be on view at the museum on the Duke University campus from Aug. 21 through Nov. 9.

stampa

permanent link