This article was published on News-n-Views
Alive, alive, I want to get up and jive, I want to wreck my stockings in some juke box dive.” These poetic lyrics come from the song “All I Want” by multitalented artist Joni Mitchell.
The legendary folk music musician is coming to the Irvine Barclay Theater Thursday February 25th at 8 p.m. to share her collaborative masterpiece “The Fiddle and The Drum” with Orange County. The artist partners up with the Alberta Ballet and its Artistic Director Jean Grand- Maître to bring a creative performance that celebrates the marriage of art and music.
“The Fiddle and The Drum” is a semi-abstract narrative ballet that is danced in a neo-classical style set to the soundtrack of Joni Mitchell’s compelling music and most recent visual artwork. Large canvas screens will be projected with her innovative imagery, painting the atmosphere of each scene for the 29 athletic dancers of the Alberta Ballet.
Jean Grand- Maître directs the Alberta Ballet’s team of dancers as they use sensual and powerful movements to command the attention of the audience. The program is meant to fuse contemporary eclectic art forms through exploring the human spirit’s dual potential to both create and destroy. It is the timeless story of the struggle between love and hate and the capacity for both war and peace. “The Fiddle and The Drum” is an opportunity to experience a symbolic world that awakens and stirs the soul.
Joni Mitchell is a Canadian musician, songwriter and painter. After singing in small nightclubs and busking on the streets of Toronto, Mitchell set off to New York City in the 1960’s to follow the rich folk music scene of the times. After finding fame first as a songwriter, she let her soprano voice carry her to the West Coast, settling in Southern California. Inspiration came from all corners of the music industry, influenced by jazz, melding it with pop, folk and rock on her experimental albums throughout the years. Allmusic once said that the artist “may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century.”
The Alberta Ballet is a not-for-profit charitable organization in Canada, and is the country’s third largest dance company in its 43rd season. “The way we perform ballet has evolved, just like music and opera. There’s a dynamic modern energy to it, which really is very expressive of our joys and our anxieties and our lives to date,” says Director Jean Grand- Maître. The performance collaboration of “The Fiddle and The Drum” is proudly headlined at this year’s Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad.
There is no better time than now to experience the marriage of two of the most gifted artistic inspirations of our day. The show begins at 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 25. A very small number of tickets are available for Gold Seats at a price of $100, which includes VIP seating and complimentary wine or other beverages before the show. General tickets are $28. For more information or to buy tickets online please go to the Irvine Barclay Website at www.thebarclay.org.
