Musica Nuova performs Monteverdi's 'Il Ballo delle Ingrate" ("Dance of the Ungrateful Women") June 3, 2012

Monteverdi's Il Ballo delle Ingrate (1608), a stunning masque from the early days of opera, recounts Cupid's woes when women no longer heed their lovers' desires. Venus and Cupid ask Pluto to bring the spirits of women who rejected love up from the underworld to show what fate awaits today’s unyielding women in the afterlife. To make this overlooked masterpiece palatable to a modern audience, lutenist and music director Grant Herreid has added other Monteverdi songs and opera excerpts to create new characters who reject this message, and encourage the audience to do the same. Wellesley professor Lawrence Rosenwald has written original English dialogue in verse that is elegant, modern, yet evocative of the period. The performance includes several Baroque dances choreographed by Dorothy Olsson of New York Historical Dance Company. Filled with humor, action, and thrilling music, this production of "Ballo" appeals to early music buffs and modern audiences alike
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Amanda Keil, Artistic Director and Producer
Grant Herreid, Music Director
Walker Lewis, Stage Director
Dorothy Olsson, Choreography
Lawrence Rosenwald, Original Dialogue

Official Website: http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/2790