Music faculty perform ‘The Andrée Expedition’

Dr. Paul Hindemith, baritone, and Dr. Nathanael May, piano, will perform Dominick Argento’s dramatic song cycle “The Andrée Expedition” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday Nov. 11 in the Potter Hall Theater on the campus of Missouri Western State University. The recital is free and open to the public.

The 45-minute cycle tells the story of three Swedish explorers who attempted to be the first to reach the North Pole by hot air balloon in 1897. The cycle is based on the explorers’ journals and will be accompanied by images from the expedition.

The work’s composer, Dominick Argento, is a Minnesota-based musician renowned for his vocal works, operas, and choral compositions. Of this particular work, Argento noted, “With its thirteen songs, The Andrée Expedition is the most ambitious of my song cycles.” Argento turned 90 years old last month.

In his second year on the music faculty at Missouri Western, Dr. Hindemith says he is excited to bring the work to northwest Missouri.

“It’s not performed very often because of how challenging it is for both the singer and the pianist. It’s basically a one-act opera,” he said.

 

Dr. Hindemith first performed the cycle in 2005. “I was captivated by the musical language of the piece and the drama,” he said. “Musically, it’s unusual, but after one or two songs, you adjust, and the characters and colors really come alive. By the end, you feel like you have been right there on the trip with Andrée and his compatriots.”

For Dr. May, it is the first performance of the cycle. The associate professor of piano at Missouri Western has dedicated himself to performance of new works and is the founder and artistic director of the soundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange Festival in Italy.

Hindemith, an Omaha native, recently won a “Ruby” award from Saint Joseph’s Robidoux Resident Theatre for his performance as Lumière in Beauty and the Beast. He has performed opera, operetta, and musical theatre with notable companies like the Minnesota Orchestra, San Diego Opera, Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, and Ohio Light Opera. He will join the Grumo Festival in Italy as stage director and performer for the second time in the summer of 2018. He is also a member of the professional choral ensemble Kantorei of Kansas City.

Missouri Western State University is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit www.missouriwestern.edu.