The nation's premier stage plans to mount a three-week festival of the arts and culture of the Arab world next season - a programming decision with political overtones.
The festival, called "Arabesque" and presented in cooperation with the League of Arab States, will be held at the Kennedy Center from Feb. 25 to March 15, 2009. There will be performances from 22 nations in dance, theater and music, including 12 premieres. Visual arts and fashion will also have a part.
In recent years, the Kennedy Center has shone spotlights on the arts of Japan and China - but neither is a culture with whom the U.S. recently has been in conflict.
The State Department "knows we're doing this, but they don't vet what we do," Michael Kaiser, president of the Kennedy Center, said yesterday. "And our board, which includes 14 members of Congress, has raised no objections."
Kaiser, who described Arabesque as the largest presentation of Arab arts ever in the United States, said planning for the event was started four years ago. "Americans don't know enough about a lot of other countries, especially the Arab countries," he said, "and the arts provide a wonderful way to start that education."
Bolstering that point, Kennedy Center officials also announced that Arabesque will be held during the same season as a festival highlighting American contributions to the arts and culture.
Artists from each of the 50 states will be featured during the 35-day Arts Across America festival. Among the dozens of events will be a concert by the 105 Voices of History Choir, which will include a singer from each of the nation's 105 historically black colleges and universities.
In addition, Broadway: Three Generations will combine abridged versions of three American classics from different eras into one performance: Girl Crazy, Fiddler on the Roof and Sideshow.
Other highlights of the 2008-2009 season include:
Theater: The theater season will feature two new productions of old classics: Ragtime, based on E.L. Doctorow's novel about race, class and religion in America at the dawn of the 20th century; and a musical version of Giant, based on Edna Ferber's epic tale of Texas cattle barons and oil tycoons. The season also will feature touring productions of such Broadway hits as Spring Awakening and Legally Blonde and actor Stacey Keach starring in Frost/Nixon.
Classical Music: The National Symphony Orchestra's first post-Leonard Slatkin season - he steps down in June as music director - will include several programs led by principal guest conductor Ivan Fischer, including works of Wagner, Mahler and Bartok. Seasoned conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt and Kurt Masur are on the roster, along with younger ones who will invariably be viewed as candidates for the music director post, unless it is filled before next season. (As for persistent buzz that Christoph Eschenbach, soon to be leaving the Philadelphia Orchestra, is strongly favored for the job, Kaiser said "he is one potential candidate - there's literally nothing to announce.")
Guest artists with the NSO include pianists Garrick Ohlsson, Leif Ove Andsnes and Helene Grimaud; violinists Gil Shaham and Itzhak Perlman (who will also do some conducting); and stellar soprano Karita Mattila. Andre Previn will conduct an 80th birthday salute to - Andre Previn, with help from violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. Orchestral and chamber forces will participate in a Contemporary Music Week organized by composer Oliver Knussen and pianist Joseph Kalichstein.
Ballet: The Bolshoi Ballet was such a hit during its appearance at the Kennedy Center earlier this year, that the troupe has signed up to perform there regularly. This season will feature Le Corsaire, the only North American performances of this much-lauded work.
The remainder of the season will include repeat visits by such acclaimed companies as the American Ballet Theatre, the New York City Ballet and the Kirov Ballet (the Kirov Opera will not make its annual visit next season, due to scheduling issues, but will return thereafter).
mary.mccauley@baltsun.com tim.smith@baltsun.com