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 The Friends of Chamber Music's presentation of Croatian singer Katarina Livljanić in the medieval work Judith on November 8 was the second concert in The Friends' Early Music Series this season.

Actually, the work doesn't quite qualify as "genuine" medieval music, although it comes close.  As Livljanić, the producer and star of the one-woman show (with two instrumental accompanists) made clear in the production's program notes, the words of the presentation are taken directly from the work of the 15th-century Croatian poet Marko Marulic, based upon the Biblical* story of Judith.  The poem had no music, however, and the musical score of the presentation was "a reconstruction, using Gregorian (Latin) and Glagolitic (Slavonic Croatian) sources of medieval Dalmatia, as well as Glagolitic chant from its oral tradition.  So the music was found in "related music sources" and included "melodies corresponding to the suggestions of the original text."  A scholarly medieval musician, Livljanić used "archaic melodic material...to create a new musical piece."

Regardless of the music's source, it well characterized the dramatic story of the scriptural heroine, and Livljanić's performance of the score, accompanied by a lirica (a traditional Croatian stringed instrument) and wooden flute, was dramatic and moving.

The performance utilized no sets, although the beautiful stone interior of Grace and Holy Cathedral, long one of this reviewer's favorite musical venues, served as an appropriate backdrop.  A screen behind the performer served to hide the performers in various switches of scene, and even as a scrim when the instrumentalists behind it were occasionally lit.  In general, the lighting of the piece was as effective as scenery would have been, especially in the key moment of the murder, when a sudden shift to red light bathed the scene in unexpected color.

Thankfully for the audience, the Croatian text was projected in translation above the performer, making the story easy to follow.  The rise and fall of the melodic line was simple but effective, reminiscent of much of medieval music including the Gregorian tradition, and occasionally slipping into spoken lines.  The performer was more of a narrator than a character, although clearly depicting the actions of Judith at appropriate moments.  Minimal costuming was accomplished with a veil here, a wrap there, to suggest the heroine in various dresses at different points in the story.

As for the story of Judith, it is stark enough, and still controversial today: a young attractive Hebrew widow, seeking to free her people from the tyranny of the Assyrian conqueror Holofernes, seduces him and then murders him in his sleep, carrying forth his head to prove to her people that the tyrant is dead.
Members of the audience would never have seen this dramatic piece were it not for Livljanić's research and performance skills, which the audience rewarded with lusty applause.  Livljanić served the story and the music well.

*    The Biblical book of Judith is included in the Septuagint and the Roman Catholic version of the Bible, but not the Hebrew Bible or the Protestant Old Testament.  It hails Judith as a heroine, and the text of the performance states that "Judith's glory shall last until the circle of this earthly world begin to burn," but the tale has become controversial in recent years, 2,200 years after its creation, as supporting the actions of some modern terrorists who have cited it as inspiration.
 

REVIEW
The Friends of Chamber Music presents
Katarina Livljanic in "Judith"
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Downtown Kansas City MO

By Don Dagenais

City Classics Music and Dance Columnist; Classical Contributor

A lifelong classical music fan, Don Dagenais is a frequent preview speaker for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and has taught classical music and opera courses at several Kansas City venues. He has served on the boards of directors of a number of performing arts organizations including the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Lyric Opera Guild, UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, Opera Volunteers International, the Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City, Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony, Octarium, and the Friends of the Symphony.  He has been the past president of most of these organizations and is current the president of the Friends of the Symphony. 

Dagenais co-authored a history of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, published on the occasion of its 50th anniversary (2007) and has written books on the histories of both the Lyric Opera Guild and Opera Volunteers International, as well as an introductory book for opera novices (Your Passport to the Opera).  He has received several local and national awards for outstanding volunteer work for the arts, including a lifetime achievement award from The Coterie Theatre in 2000, the Kansas City Musical Club's annual award in 2001, a Partners in Excellence Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2002, a Bravo Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2004 and a community service award from the Daughter of the American Revolution in 2008 honoring him for his community service to the arts.

In addition to his music interests, Don is president of the board of directors for the Metropolitan Ensemble Theater and has served on the boards of The Coterie Theatre and the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, serving as president of each organization.  He publishes newsletters for seven arts organizations.  When not involved in the performing arts, Don is a senior real estate attorney with Lathrop & Gage LLP in Kansas City, Missouri, where he has practiced law since 1976 after graduating from the Cornell Law School.