News

Broadway to Main Street to Blitzstein

The radio show/podcast “Broadway to Main Street” looks back at Marc Blitzstein on June 27, 2021. Host Laurence Maslon welcomes special guest Steven Blier, Artistic Director of the New York Festival of Song and a great exponent of Blitzstein’s music. They provide expert commentary built around a rich variety of recorded performances, with contributions from Patti LuPone, Rosemary Clooney, Audra McDonald, Paul Robeson and more. Listen live at 3:00 p.m. on NPR station WLIW (wliw.org), or at your convenience to the podcast.

Leonard Bernstein plays Marc Blitzstein
Leonard Bernstein plays Marc Blitzstein

Blitzstein Videos Now Available

The Kurt Weill Foundation is pleased to announce the acquisition of three half-hour television programs that highlight the works of Marc Blitzstein. Made for the long-running arts series “Camera Three” in 1964 and 1976, the videos feature Jerry Orbach, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, John Houseman, Howard da Silva, and others discussing and performing portions of The Cradle Will Rock, Regina, and the “Airborne” Symphony. In one memorable scene, Leonard Bernstein performs Blitzstein’s song, “Zipperfly,” in full, accompanying himself on the piano.

All three videos have been placed complete on Youtube for easy access:

Camera Three – The Cradle Will Rock (1964)

Camera Three – Marc Blitzstein: American Composer with a Message, part 1 (1976)

Camera Three – Marc Blitzstein: American Composer with a Message, part 2 (1976)

The Foundation administers the estate of Marc Blitzstein and has purchased the rights and content of the videos from Camera Three. All rights reserved.

Tony Yazbeck to star as Larry Foreman in "The Cradle Will Rock" at Classic Stage Company.

Casting Announced for “The Cradle Will Rock” at Classic Stage Company

New York’s Classic Stage Company has announced complete casting for its upcoming two-month run of The Cradle Will Rock, directed by Tony-Award winner and CSC Artistic Director John Doyle. Tony Yazbeck leads the cast as Larry Foreman, alongside Lara Pulver as The Moll, David Garrison as Mr. Mister, Sally Ann Triplet as Mrs. Mister, Ken Barnett as Editor Daily, and more.

Previews begin 21 March, followed by opening night on 3 April, with performances through 19 May. Tickets are available for purchase here.

Related Content

Watch Tony Yazbeck perform the title song.

Kurt Weill Directing Fellow James Blaszko to Serve as Assistant Director for The Cradle Will Rock

Kurt Weill Directing Fellow James Blaszko to Serve as Assistant Director for The Cradle Will Rock

The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF) announced that director James Blaszko has been named the 2019 Kurt Weill Directing Fellowship recipient and will serve as Assistant Director to John Doyle on his upcoming production of The Cradle Will Rock at Classic Stage Company in New York.

Created in partnership with the Kurt Weill Foundation, the fellowship offers an opportunity for emerging and mid-career directors to serve as assistant director on a stage work of Kurt Weill or Marc Blitzstein. Through these Fellowships, directors will gain first-hand experience with the processes and specific approaches of master artists and thereby expand their own artistry, enrich leadership and collaboration skills, and further their knowledge of directing opera and/or musical theater. In addition, the Fellow will acquire greater understanding of and comfort level with Kurt Weill’s and Marc Blitzstein’s theatrical catalogue and an ability to draw on this in future work. Following the expansion of the fellowship, the application is now open to all SDC members or associate members.

This marks Blaszko’s second opportunity working on a Blitzstein production, having previously served as Assistant Director for Bronx Opera’s 2016 production of Regina.

More information about the Kurt Weill Directing Fellowship is available here.

A page from Blitzstein's manuscript for "Cain"

“Cain” World Premiere

Blitzstein gets a belated world premiere when the MDR Sinfonieorchester performs his ballet score Cain (1930) at the Brucknerhaus Linz 28 February. Eugene Tzigane conducts and baritone Adrian Eröd sings the role of Jehovah. The work was all but forgotten before the discovery of a second holograph piano score in 2016 spurred fresh interest, and a newly engraved orchestral score and parts, prepared by Arno Lücker from Blitzstein’s manuscript, will be unveiled for the premiere and available for future performances.

Cain was conceived as a thirty-minute “tragic ballet” based on the biblical story of Cain and Abel. In a letter to his sister, Blitzstein described it as “the best thing I have written in my career.” Yet his own high expectations—and praise from the likes of Copland, Nadia Boulanger, and Alfredo Casella—were not enough to bring about a performance; to this day, only excerpts have been given, and only with piano accompaniment. Nearly ninety years later, the work will be heard in full for the first time.

New Recording: Music for Solo Piano, 1918-63

A new album of Blitzstein’s music for solo piano, performed by Leonard Lehrman, is due out from Toccata Classics (TOCC0438) 1 February 2019. The disc comprises twenty-seven tracks, many of them world premiere recordings, including Children’s Dances, The Guests, and selections from Cain.

The range of compositions showcases Blitzstein’s versatility and agility as a composer for the piano, from the larger show pieces such as the Piano Sonata, Scherzo: Bourgeois at Play, and Piano-Percussion Music, to smaller intimate works composed for family celebrations (Innocent Psalm – for the Bernstein Baby, Slow March – for Kit’s Wedding, Wedding Piece for Stephen & Joyce).

A CD release concert will be held at the Schott Music House in London, February 1 6:30 PM, with Lehrman at the piano performing selections from the album.

MARC BLITZSTEIN: PIANO MUSIC, 1918–63

  • Waterfall: Barcarolle, Op. 4, No. 1 (1918)
  • Prelude in C minor (1922)
  • Valse (1923)
  • Children’s Dances (1924)
  • Svarga (1924–25): No. 4, Belly-Ache (‘Blues’)
  • Percussion Music for the Piano (1928–29)
  • Scherzo (1930)
  • Piano Solo/Suite: extract (1933)
  • Cain: ballet (three movements only)
  • The Guests: ballet (1946–49)
  • Innocent Psalm – for the Bernstein baby (1952)
  • Slow March – for Kit’s Wedding (1953)
  • Wedding Piece for Stephen & Joyce (1955)
  • Lied (1963)
  • Sonata for Piano (1927)

Leonard Lehrman, piano
TOCC0438
Available from Toccata Classics and all retailers 1 February 2019.

2018-19 Season Highlights

Blitzstein gets a world premiere this season when the MDR Sinfonieorchester performs Cain, conducted by Michail Jurowski at the Brucknerhaus in Linz 28 February. Composed in 1930 for a competition sponsored by the League of Composers, only portions of the work were performed during Blitzstein’s lifetime, and only in a piano reduction. The exciting discovery of a manuscript vocal score in 2016 sparked new interest in the work, and a newly engraved full score and set of parts, edited by Arno Lücker, will be unveiled for the premiere.

New York’s celebrated Classic Stage Company presents The Cradle Will Rock, directed by John Doyle, opening 19 March. Full cast information will be announced later this season. Other upcoming productions of Cradle include Nashville Opera, 10-12 May; Frank Theatre, St. Paul, MN, 15 March through 7 April; Theater 20/20, Brooklyn, NY, opening May 23.

For the complete list of performances coming up this season, visit the performance calendar.

"Regina" at Opera Theatre of St. Louis. (photo credit: Ken Howard)

Raves for “Regina”

Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ production of Regina is receiving rave reviews!

Susan Graham takes on the role of a lifetime. Joshua Barone writes in The New York Times:

Fans who have grown accustomed to Ms. Graham’s sweetness, both onstage and off, might be caught off guard by “Regina”; it demands a vocal ugliness that would drive some singing teachers insane. And her soothing stage presence takes a turn for the venomous here.

“The character fits me scarily well,” she said. “I must have an inner Regina.”… Local reviews have been laudatory, and her voice sounds as powerful and assured as ever. In her trademark way, she somehow manages to make the irredeemable Regina sympathetic, even tragic.

Here is what the critics have to say:

“‘Regina’ may be a piece whose time has come, especially as presented here in James Robinson’s production, suggestive of the Southern locale and early-20th-century period, and performed by an exceptional cast led by the mezzo-soprano Susan Graham in the title role.” The New York Times

“…a gripping music drama in the hands of a superb cast and production team.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch

“[Blitzstein’s] score is rich and diverse….[Graham] absolutely nails it.” Broadway World

“Under the masterful baton of Opera Theatre’s long-time Music Director Stephen Lord, Blitzstein’s score proves to be an endlessly inventive collage of styles, masterfully tailored to fit each character and situation…. ‘Regina’ is an American classic, and the Opera Theater production is a triumph in every respect.” KDHX.org

“There are no real love songs here. There is, however, beautiful music that’s immediately approachable, including a gorgeous song about the rain that begins the third act — a reminder that there can be moments of beauty even in a pit of vipers, and that salvation lies in seeking out kind people and running from cruelty.” River Front Times

“Where ‘Regina’ ranks among American operas is up for debate but this OTSL production makes a case for inclusion near the top.” OperaWire.com

New Cast Recording of “The Cradle Will Rock” from Opera Saratoga

One year after the highly acclaimed production of The Cradle Will Rock at Opera Saratoga in upstate New York, the resulting original cast album will soon be available. The 2-disc album, due out July 6 on Bridge Records, includes liner notes by music director John Mauceri, and a handful of images from the production. The extensive cast includes Christopher Burchett as Larry Foreman, Matt Boehler as Mr. Mister, Audrey Babcock as Mrs. Mister, and former Lenya Competition prizewinners Ginger Costa-Jackson as Moll, Justin Hopkins as Reverend Salvation, and 2018 LLC finalist John Tibbetts as Yasha. This landmark recording gives listeners a unique opportunity to hear the work in Blitzstein’s original orchestrations, a quite different experience from the handful of piano-only recordings currently available.

The album also includes, as a bonus track, a rare interview with Blitzstein in which he describes the spectacle of the opening night of the original Broadway production of Cradle. Though now the stuff of Broadway legend, Blitzstein’s first-hand account of the events of that night adds new immediacy to the infamous tale.

Purchase from Bridge Records.

Purchase on Amazon or iTunes.

Listen on Spotify.

See also New Production of “The Cradle Will Rock” Makes Its Own Headlines

Susan Graham stars as Regina at Opera Theatre of St. Louis May 26 through June 24

“Regina” at Opera Theatre of St. Louis

Opera Theatre of St. Louis presents Blitzstein’s Regina in a new production directed by OTSL Artistic Director James Robinson and conducted by Music Director Stephen Lord. American mezzo-soprano Susan Graham makes her role debut as the opera’s anti-heroine Regina Giddens, alongside James Morris as Ben Hubbard, Ron Raines as Oscar Hubbard, and Susanna Phillips as Birdie. The cast also includes Melody Wilson as Addie, Monica Dewey as Alexandra, Kristopher Irmiter as Horace, and Michael Day as Leo.

In a recent interview with Opera (“Vivat Regina!” by John Allison, April 2018), Graham described her attraction to the title role, “[S]he’s so bad! I’m always playing the boy next door and don’t usually get to do juicy parts like this…. She’s great operatic fodder….”

Graham went on to say, “It’s a fascinating piece, and certainly not something I’d ever envisioned myself doing. It wasn’t exactly on my wish list, so I’m grateful for the way things have turned out…. I feel Regina will open new horizons for me. I’ve never sung any Blitzstein songs, but I’m sure that after this adventure in Regina-land I will want to explore them further.”

Fans of Blitzstein hope that she does!

This marks the opera’s first major revival since Utah Opera’s 2009 production. Regina opens 26 May and runs in repertory through 24 June.

View the event in the performance calendar.