STAGE TUBE: Sneak Peek at LA DOUBLE COQUETTE, Today

What happens when a good-looking, double-crossing cross-dresser meets her match(es) in beautiful costumes designed by leading French artist Annette Messager ("a bold messenger of feminist art," The New York Times)? The very French La Double Coquette, Ensemble Amarillis' charming update of an opéra comique by Antoine Dauvergne, first presented in 1753. Glorious voices bring Dauvergne's gorgeous score to life, with 32 additions - supplements, asides, codas, and new harmonies that seamlessly complement the original score -- by contemporary French composer Gérard Pesson, and a cheeky, updated libretto by French poet Pierre Alferi. In a plot reminiscent of a farce by Marivaux, two women compete for the same fickle lover. The acoustic heaven of the Alexander Kasser Theater is the perfect place to hear this lovely baroque classic (sung in French with English and French supertitles) performed by a gifted cast and the superb musicians of the 11-member Ensemble Amarillis. Amarillis is now one of Europe's most original Baroque ensembles, known for its fine sound and excellent instrumental technique. Fresh from the Spoleto Festival, this is the NY/NJ area premiere of this saucy chamber opera produced by Festival d'Automne à Paris.

Antoine Dauvergne (1713-1797) was initially a violinist who was a member of the Opéra orchestra and became director of the Opéra between 1769 and 1790. As a composer he is recognized as one of the founding fathers of the art of comic opera changing its tradition from spoken word to sung-through scores. The cast includes Isabelle Poulenard (soprano), Maïlys de Villoutreys (soprano), and Robert Getchell (tenor). Fanny de Chaillé directed La Double Coquette, with music direction by Heloïse Gaillard and Violaine Cochard, founders of Ensemble Amarillis.

The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) in Montclair and Peak Performances present "Strange Bedfellows", a free pre-show talk on June 4 at 6:30 p.m. in the lobby of the Alexander Kasser Theater by Neal Goren, founder and artistic director of Gotham Chamber Opera. Mr. Goren will use composer Gérard Pesson's revisions of and additions to La Double Coquette's original 1753 score as a launch point to pose the question of whether artistic "purity" is a valid concept, and if so, when? Is it a fixed, all-or-nothing concept, or is there a sliding scale of egregiousness? Mr. Goren will use audio recordings of various works to illustrate his points (for example, the Mozart/Luciano Berio "Zaide," Berio's completion of "Turandot," Brahms' cadenza to Mozart's G Major piano concerto, and Mozart's revision of Handel's "Messiah").

WHERE TO GO
The performances are Saturday, June 4 at 8 pm and Sunday, June 5 at 3 pm. The Alexander Kasser Theater at Montclair State University is located at 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, New Jersey 07043. Tickets are $20, and are available at the box office, www.peakperfs.org, or by calling 973-655-6112.

Charter bus service is provided from New York City's Port Authority Bus Terminal arcade on 41st Street between 8th and 9th Avenues to the Alexander Kasser Theater ($10 per person, round trip) for all Saturday and Sunday performances. Bus reservations may be made by calling 973-655-5112 or by visiting www.peakperfs.org.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The concert version of La Double Coquette was produced by Ensemble Amarillis and Les 2 Scènes-scène nationale de Besançon on December 2, 2014 at the Théâtre de Besançon. Gérard Pesson's music and Pierre Alferi's libretto were commissioned by Les 2 Scènes-scène nationale de Besançon. With the support of the Orange Foundation.

The staged version of La Double Coquette is produced by the Festival d'Automne in Paris; the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles; Festival Le French May/Hong Kong; Festival de Sablé; Metz en Scenes - Arsenal; Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne; KunstFestSpiele Herrenhausen; Spoleto Festival USA; Peak Performances @ Montclair State University. With support from le Fonds de Création et Lyrique and l'ADAMI.

Programs in Peak Performances 2015-16 season are made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Dept. of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; and The National Dance Project and The National Theatre Project of the New England Foundation for the Arts.

The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), the premiere destination for French language and culture in the tri-state area, offers French classes, workshops, and social and cultural events for all ages and levels in Montclair, New Jersey.www.fiaf.org/newjersey

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