In this engrossing presentation, baritone and musicologist Jean Bernard Cerin explores the tale—across centuries and continents—of “Lisette quitté la plaine,” a enduringly popular folk tune from Cerin’s native Haiti. From France and Pennsylvania, to Louisiana and back to Haiti, the remarkable journey of “Lisette” over two centuries is a testament to the connecting power of music, as well as to the complicated legacies of empire and enslavement.

This program will feature a showing of “Lisette,” a feature-length documentary by Cerin and Brandi Berry, as well as performances from Cerin, who will be joined by Bay Area-based soprano Michele Kennedy, as well as pianist and musicologist Nicholas Mathew.

EPSG:4326

Lisette—A Song’s Journey From Haiti and Back

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

In this intimate and imaginative recital, soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon (“dazzling, virtuoso singing,” Boston Globe) and fortepianist Nicholas Mathew explore female figures on the boundaries of society, from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s “Mignon,” as seen through the eyes of Robert Schumann; to Franz Schubert’s monumental “Viola” (Blumenballade; D. 786) and “Vergissmeinnicht” (“Forget-me-not,” D. 792), which explore female sexuality and desire in utterly contrasting ways.Fitz Gibbon and Mathew will also present Clara Schumann’s Sechs Lieder, Op. 13; despite her lifelong reputation as a celebrity pianist, Clara’s modern-day fame has more often than not unjustly focused on her role as Robert’s champion, rather than for her considerable compositional talents.This concert will be presented on a replica of an 1820 Viennese piano by Conrad Graf, whose instruments were favored by all three composers.

Nicholas Mathew

Events

Jun 10, 2022

Lisette—A Song’s Journey From Haiti and Back · Berkeley Festival & Exhibition

Jun 6, 2022

Dark Dreams—Lieder of Franz Schubert, Clara Schumann, & Robert Schumann · Berkeley Festival & Exhibition

About

Nicholas Mathew hasn't added a bio