Mark Morris Dance Group
L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato
UPCOMING AND PAST PERFORMANCES
LISTEN to BBC interview from Wed Apr 14, 2011 (segment begins at :32min)
Here are facts (some fun, others random) on the creation of the piece and a glimpse into the history of Mark Morris' seminal masterwork.
THE CREATIVE TIMELINE
1631 - John Milton publishes "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso", paired poems which depict opposing but complementary states of mind – L’Allegro is the active or cheerful mind, Il Penseroso is the melancholic or contemplative mind.
1740 - George Frideric Handel and his librettist Charles Jennens adapt these poems to create a dialogue between them and add a third part, "Il Moderato," representing the voice of moderation and reason.
1816 - William Blake creates 12 watercolors to illustrate Milton's poems. Each design is accompanied by a separate inscribed sheet on which Blake wrote, in his own hand, a brief title and quotations of the lines illustrated, to which Blake added his own comments on the motifs pictured.
1988 - Mark Morris, inspired by and drawing upon each of his predecessors, created L’Allegro for 24 dancers, orchestra, chorus and vocal soloists – the most ambitious piece he had yet made.
MILTON'S DREAM
Milton Sleeping on a Bank; Sleep descending, with a strange,
Mysterious dream upon his Wings, of Scrolls & Net & Webs,
Unfolded by Spirits in the Air & in the Brook.
Around Milton are Six Spirits or Fairies, hovering on the air,
with Intruments of Music.
(Illustration and text by William Blake, The Morgan Library & Museum, used with permission)