Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music will present the McDonald-Lysinger Piano Duo in a recital at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Alex McDonald and Catharine Lysinger, both of Dallas, will present “The Orchestral Piano: Virtuosic Transcriptions,” which features works by Johannes Brahms, Igor Stravinsky and Maurice Ravel.

Brahms’ Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Op. 56b is now also called the Saint Anthony Variations, or the St. Anthony’s Chorale, according to Dr. Andrew Parr, professor of piano at SFA

“Although the work is better known in its orchestral version, Brahms wrote the two-piano version first,” he said.

Stravinsky’s “Firebird Suite,” arranged by McDonald for two pianos, was written for Stravinsky’s first collaboration with Sergei Diaghilev, the famed choreographer, in 1910. The story is based on Russian fairy tales of a magical glowing bird that can be both a blessing and a curse to its owner, according to Parr.

The program also features Ravel’s “La Valse.” “This difficult solo work was also arranged for two pianos by the composer,” Parr said. “It recreates the 19th century Vienna of waltzes and balls, but with a sinister twist.”

Lysinger is widely sought after as pianist, teacher and lecturer. A collaborator in chamber music concerts with duo-piano partner McDonald, she maintains an ongoing collaboration with Voices of Change, a Dallas-based professional ensemble comprised of members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, which features chamber music written by living composers. She was recipient of the 2015 Outstanding Teaching Achievement Award for pre-collegiate teaching by Texas Music Teachers Association. She is professor of practice at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts where she teaches piano pedagogy and applied piano. She is also head of the piano pedagogy area and director of the Piano Preparatory Department.

McDonald is the festival director for Basically Beethoven, a thriving summer concert series in downtown Dallas’ Arts District now entering its 38th season. He also teaches privately, often in collaboration with his mother, Marcy McDonald. He was recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Teaching Achievement Award for pre-collegiate teaching by Texas Music Teachers Association. He has soloed with the Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de Mexico, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Utah Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has performed across the United States as well as in Israel, Mexico, Canada, Japan and South Korea; additionally, he has been a featured performer on PBS.

Every theatre season needs a few good laughs. The 2017-18 Mainstage Series at Stephen F. Austin State University achieves that with the fall presentation of Molière’s “Tartuffe.”

One of the funniest plays ever written, “Tartuffe” is both timeless and timely, according to Scott Shattuck, professor in the SFA School of Theatre and the play’s director.

“Because of its insights into human behavior and its broad look at the forces that shape society, its humor and satire are as fresh today as they were when the play was written in 1664,” Shattuck said. “At the same time, the play confronts questions that dominate current events in America today: How can we tell what’s real and what’s ‘fake?’ What is a social good and what’s bad? Why are some people taken in by fraud that seems obvious to others?”

The School of Theatre will present “Tartuffe” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Oct. 3 through 7, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. Set in the 17th century, the play depicts a con man (the title character) who has successfully duped a wealthy businessman named Orgon. Because he is so impressed with Tartuffe’s pretensions of moral purity and religious piety, Orgon has invited Tartuffe to move into his lavish Paris home and take full advantage of his hospitality.

“Orgon’s family smells a rat, but when they urge caution, he takes offense and offers Tartuffe even more access to his property – and even to his daughter and his sensible wife, Elmire.” Shattuck explained. The wife lays a trap for the lecherous imposter, but not before her husband has been taken for all they’re worth.

Whenever the School of Theatre produces a great classical play such as “Romeo & Juliet” or “Tartuffe” or even a Greek tragedy, directors hope that audience members leave with a sense that “these wonderful literary art works aren’t dusty museum pieces,” Shattuck said.

Shattuck believes audiences will be “pleasantly surprised” by how vital and seemingly contemporary “Tartuffe” is and how funny, sexy and satirically relevant it is in 21st century America.

“Our production will feature beautiful and colorful baroque-era costumes with elaborate wigs, highly decorative scenery, and a quick-paced and energetic acting style from the appealing young performers,” he said. “And there is bawdy physical comedy that never goes out of style.”

Because Tartuffe is a 17th-century sex maniac as well as a greedy grifter, there will be some funny moments that aren’t appropriate for kids or those with “delicate sensibilities,” Shattuck said.

“Otherwise I think everyone will enjoy the show – some mostly for its witty language, some especially for the historical costumes, and many for the hilarious way the story unfolds,” he said. A content advisory may be viewed at www.theatre.sfasu.edu.

Single tickets are $15 for adult, $10 for senior and $7.50 for student/youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.theatre.sfasu.edu.