Newsletter September 2012

I hope you all have passed wonderful vacations!

After a very intensive summer in Vienna, New York and Barcelona, where I have been rehearsing and teaching, I am about to leave an other time to Teheran, where I try to contribute to the peace process between our cultures with an artistic exchange programme. The Iranian People are wonderful and cultivated, open-minded and very highly educated. I am suffering very much to witness the demonisation of an entire country by western mass media. But on the other hand it is important to present in Teheran western culture in a humble and non colonizing manner. The persian culture is far older than ours and most of their wonderful phlosophers and artists are unfortunately almost unknown in western countries. On the other hand western powers have caused so much harm in the passed centuries in Iran, that it is absolutey comprehensive that they regard our culture with a certain distrust. Especially in times of crises we have to lead an open and fair dialogue in mutual dignety. I consider artists traditionally being the first "ambassadors of peace" to conciliate between people and cultures and I feel obliged to undertake anything useful to contribute to an active peace process.  

From Teheran I continue to Istanbul where I will be teaching a masterclass of Mask Theatre at a European Theatre Festival.

In November I will be in New York City to direct a small but very touching and beautiful opera.

I wish you a beautiful autumn and would be glad to meet you soon.

Yours sincerely

Markus

On the 16.11.2012 we will show the opera "Der Kaiser von Atlantis - Eine Todesverweigerung" by Viktor Ullmann. This opera had been composed at the Concentration Camp Theresienstadt, its composer Ullmann hab been murdered at Auschwitz.

The score was found in the year 1975 under a roof in Netherlands, where then the world premiere has taken place.

Now this opera comes back to New York City.

 

 

Preview: 15.11.2012

Opening night: 16.11.2012

Performances: 17.11. and 18.11.2012

 

at The Bohemian National Hall
The Czech Center New York
321 East 73rd Street 
(btwn 1st & 2nd Avenue)
New York, NY 10021

FEATURING LE TRAIN BLEU ENSEMBLE

CONDUCTOR:  Ransom Wilson
STAGE DIRECTOR:  Markus Kupferblum

CAST:
Kaiser Overall (Emperor Overall) - Vince Vincent
Der Lautsprecher (Loudspeaker) - Kelvin Chan
Ein Soldat (A soldier) - James Baumgardner
Harlekin (Pierrot) - Brian Downen
Bubikopf (A maiden) - Gan-ya Ben-gur Akselrod
Der Tod (Death) - Jeffrey Tucker
Der Trommler (Drummer girl) - Elspeth Davis



LIGHTING DESIGNER:  Marie Yokoyama

COSTUME DESIGNER:  Angela Huff

SET / LARGE PROP DESIGNER:  Timothy Bradshaw

In cooperation with The Czech Center of NY, The Austrian Cultural Forum of NY, and Deutsches Haus at NYU.

Sponsored by Air Berlin

End of September the 13 Viennese Fringe Opera Groups present their work at the Akerbrotfabrik in Vienna. Together with Kristine Tornquist I produced a small film, which introduces some of my productions, which have not been realized yet. The film is called "Kupferblums Brainworlds" and will be presented there.

21. and 22. September 2012
Expedithalle der ehem. Ankerfabrik
Vienna 10, Puchsbaumgasse 1C/LOFT CITY
18–25 h

Pay as you wish!