Giovanni Boccaccio’s collection of stories from the mid-14th century tells a story of young Florentines who have fled from the Black Plague.
For its final video concert of the season, TEMP will present stories from an extremely timely source: The Decameron, by Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375). The book is structured as a frame story containing 100 tales told by a group of a group of young adults who shelter in a secluded villa just outside Florence in order to escape the Black Death during the 1348 epidemic. The librettist for our production is Dr. Larry Rosenwald, Professor of American Literature and of English at Wellesley College; he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2020 for his wide-ranging work in literary criticism. Popular CenTex actor Marc Pouhé, finalist in the Best Actor category in the 2021 Austin Chronicle’s annual “Best of Austin” poll, is our Narrator.
Among the subjects in the stories in Boccaccio’s novel: the power of fortune; examples of the power of human will; love tales that end tragically; love tales that end happily; clever replies that save the speaker; tricks that women play on men; tricks that people play on each other in general; examples of virtue, and much more. TEMP will depict several of the tales from The Decameron by means of narration, actors, and music, with TEMP’s singers and instrumentalists performing Italian music from the time of Boccaccio, composed by Gherardello da Firenze, Lorenzo da Firenze, Francesco Landini, and more.
As one might expect, there are similarities between the ways that people entertained themselves during the Black Plague 700 years ago and the ways that we do during the time of Covid-19. Creativity and metaphor are in ample usage in both worlds. Please join us for an hour or so, a short ‘binge’ by most standards.
How do I view Tales from the Decameron?
Instructions to access the video will be delivered approximately 2 days prior to the premiere via email. Those who purchase tickets within two days of the event will receive the video link in their ticket purchase confirmation email.
What if I am not available on May 8, but still want to watch?
Tales from the Decameron will be viewable until Thursday, May 13, at 11:00 pm CST. Tickets must be purchased by 9:30 PM (CST) on Thursday, May 13.
How much do tickets cost?
As with all of our programming, there are a variety of price options available. If you are struggling financially due to the hardships resulting from the Coronavirus conditions, please take advantage of our lower-priced offer. If you are able to pay a little more, and can help someone else pay less, please do so.
Phone: (512) 377-6961
Email: admin@early-music.org
2021/05/08 - 2021/05/08
Additional time info:
A short lecture by KMFA’s Sara Schneider will present a bit of historical background to The Decameron and the music of the period before the action begins in earnest, and we catch up with our intrepid group of characters, which has fled Florence to escape the plague.
Online/Virtual Space