Greetings from a place of celebration
Today, we reflect on Juneteenth, our nation’s second Independence Day, and, as of Thursday, our newest national holiday. June 19th commemorates the day in 1865 that Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, informing the enslaved African-Americans of their freedom and that the Civil War had ended, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Initially a uniquely Texan observance, Juneteenth has now been recognized in some form in every corner of the country. It is a day to uplift and celebrate the sights and sounds of Blackness by engaging in art, music and food that connect us to a shared ancestry and history. At Glimmerglass we are using this moment to reflect on our nation’s past as well as celebrate the communities that make us a part of who we are. We encourage you to join us in your own recognition of Juneteenth! Here are some opportunities to engage more fully in the exploration of this history.
I treasure this picture of my father, Charles Carmine Zambello, in rehearsals for José Ferrer’s Broadway production of Cyrano, 1946.
Father's Day. After more than a year in which joy-filled moments felt elusive, it’s wonderful to once again immerse ourselves in observances that bring us together and elevate our spirits. In addition to Juneteenth, this weekend we celebrate Father’s Day. My father passed away almost 30 years ago, but I think of him often, and especially on Father’s Day. He was the eldest of five from Avellino, Italy, raised near Boston, in Somerville, Massachusetts, home to a large Italian immigrant community. He was the son of a seamstress and a dock worker (who was also an accordion player). Whenever I go to Boston, I love seeing his name inscribed in front of Somerville High School on a list honoring graduates who served in WWII. During the War, he was a radio operator stationed in Italy and France. He wanted to be an actor, and in his pursuit of that dream, he met my mother during an audition. In time, however, he took a job with TWA as a purser. It satisfied his travel bug, as he flew to Europe once a month during the era when transatlantic flights had to stop in Gander, Newfound to refuel. He later went into management at TWA, and this afforded all of us free travel as I was growing up, setting in motion my own love of discovering new places. My mother enjoyed a life-long career in theater, while my father frequently returned to acting, even after his retirement. Between the two of them, my father was the superior cook, and he taught me many of the recipes that I often share in my Traveling iPads. He was a culinary virtuoso, creating delicious dinners out of whatever happened to be in the refrigerator — quite the metaphor for life, especially as one faces creative challenges as we had to do over the past year at Glimmerglass!
For Father’s Day, I asked Joe to tell us about fathers in opera.
From our maestro…Act 2: “The father/daughter relationship is a theme that is prevalent in opera, and this summer at Glimmerglass, we encounter two examples: Wotan/Brünnhilde (Die Walküre) and Sarastro/Pamina (The Magic Flute). Although Il trovatore has a mother/son relationship at its core, the father/child theme resonated deeply with Verdi in Nabucco, Rigoletto, La traviata and Simon Boccanegra. Verdi, Wagner and Mozart understood that the relationship between fathers and daughters is deep and complex; at once loving, mentoring, guiding, protecting and yes, even chastising. My relationship with my own daughter, Katie, has been a great joy to me — the early years of teaching and guiding and the ultimate letting go to watch her make her own way in the world, while always standing by to offer advice (sometimes heeded) and, of course, constant love. Not surprisingly, my relationship with Katie is entwined with opera. I fondly recall the remarkable moment when I made my debut at the Metropolitan Opera conducting La bohème, and she, as a member of the Met’s Children’s Chorus, crossed the stage right in front of me at the start of Act 2! That moment captured the essence of the father/daughter relationship for me: the sharing and passing along of the beauty and power of the art of opera that I look forward to continuing with my new granddaughter this summer.”
Joe continues: Motherhood, Fatherhood and Rembrandt. “Toward the end of his life, Rembrandt created one of his most masterful paintings, The Return of the Prodigal Son. As you study the rendering of the father embracing his long-lost son, you will notice that the hands are quite different: the left has the contours of a male hand while the right hand is distinctly female. This striking disparity in the father’s hands did not go unnoticed by theologian Henri J.M. Nouwen, who wrote: ‘Is it too much to think that the one hand protects the vulnerable side of the son, while the other hand reinforces the son’s strength and desire to go and get on with his life?’ Perhaps then the relationship of father and child goes beyond gender, rendering in those hands the best of motherhood and fatherhood.”
There are so many great father roles in opera. As Joe noted, Verdi alone gave us sympathetic dads, like Germont in Traviata and Rigoletto, as well as those like the conflicted tyrant Nabucco. I am thrilled that this summer we have Eric Owens giving us two of the best: Sarastro in The Magic Flute and, for our Wagner concert, Wotan from Die Walküre. (For the latter, he will be singing opposite Alexandria Shiner as Brünnhilde and Raehann Bryce-Davis as Fricka.) Above, Eric, in his role as a loving father facing his son's tragic fate in Lost in the Stars, 2012. Photo: Karli Cadel.
Eric Owens on fathers — and father figures — in opera: “In my role as Director, Vocal Studies and the Curtis Opera Theatre, at The Curtis Institute of Music, I sometimes feel like a father to the many students. I carry that feeling especially into my portrayal of [Wagner’s] Wotan. The saddest moment is when I have to kiss my own child farewell after having imposed punishment on her. I am so conflicted, and it breaks my heart every time I play that scene. Sarastro is a very different matter; I am never sure if he is ultimately a force for good…or not? This is something we evolve in rehearsals. I am thrilled to be portraying them both this summer.”
Another cause for celebration: raising the rigging for the Andrew J. Martin-Weber Lawn Stage! Above and below, a look at our progress on this summer’s Glimmerglass on the Grass, thanks to Director of Production, Abby Rodd, and Technical Director, Ross Rundell, who oversee this work and took these great pictures, and with a nod to BNW Rigging.
Cuisine to Inspire.
I have a favorite veal marsala recipe for you today, inspired by one of my father’s many kitchen tutorials. But before getting to that, in celebration of Juneteenth, catch the Netflix series “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.” The fourth episode of which, entitled “Freedom,” includes a mouthwatering Juneteenth feast.
10-minute Veal Marsala for 6
2 lbs. veal cutlets. ONLY BUY FROM THE LEG, not the shoulder—too tough.
1 lb fresh mushrooms, cut up
¼ cup Marsala wine. I recommend buying good Sicilian Marsala wine as you can have it as an aperitif before the meal.
Flour
Sea salt
Pepper
Few cloves of garlic
Olive oil
½ cup butter
Handful of chopped parsley
Cherry tomatoes
Take the meat between wax paper and pound it thin with a cleaver or mallet. Combine flour, salt, pepper and dredge the cutlets. Important: Put them on a cookie drying rack so they are dry and not moist. In a large skillet (you know I always use my Old Forge frying pan) melt butter with a big dash of olive oil. Quickly brown your nice thin cutlets and put back on the drying rack. Sauté the mushrooms, garlic, and parsley, then add the Marsala an let it reduce over lower heat for a few minutes. Add back the cutlets to fully coat with sauce. Serve on platter with garnishing with cherry tomatoes and left -over parsley.
You can serve with any pasta, egg noodles or rice, or just crusty bread and salad. I make this for myself to enjoy over a few days when my wife, Faith, is traveling, as she is not much of a meat lover. But the vegetarian version is great too: just sauté mushrooms and garlic in the Marsala!
I think Rome is on the scent of some veal Marsala!
Artists arrive on Monday! I cannot wait for rehearsals to begin and to see the season unfold on the spectacular new Andrew J. Martin-Weber Lawn Stage: Il Trovatore, Songbird, The Magic Flute, The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson, Gods and Mortals and To the World. Thank you for helping us get through an extraordinary year and for the many encouraging gifts, notes and emails we received. Although this summer will feel and look different than what you are used to, it will be as inventive and rewarding as ever, and it will keep the creative juices flowing as we simultaneously begin our preparations for 2022, when we return to a full summer of performances. If you are able to make a donation to our annual fund and have not done so already, I hope you will help with a contribution of any size. It is your support that has brought us to where we are today and which makes all we have planned possible. My sincerest wish is that each and every member of our community has an experience that restores and refreshes. If I don't see you personally at the Festival, I wish you all the best, and please continue to share your thoughts with me.
With gratitude,
Francesca Zambello
The Glimmerglass Festival
Artistic & General Director
P.S. This week, we announced our new podcast, The Glimmercast, which takes you behind the music. In our first episode, Eric Owens and director NJ Agwuna share their thoughts on The Magic Flute, opening July 15. Click to listen on Spotify.
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