Southampton - There is much going on at the Parrish Art Museum, including Parrish's next two Opera in Cinema programs and Two Forks and a Cork, our annual wine tasting and networking event.

Live Mozart From La Scala And Filmed Puccini From Netherlands Coming To Parrish

Still from Puccini's opera "The Girl of the Golden West. (Courtesy Photo: PAM)

East Enders will have the opportunity to see a live telecast from Teatro alla Scala of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute on Thursday, March 24, 3 p.m., at the Parrish Art Museum. This new production from the fabled Milan opera house has been staged by the internationally acclaimed South African artist William Kentridge. Earlier in the week, on Sunday, March 20, 2 p.m., the Museum will screen the Netherlands Opera's production of Puccini's "The Girl of the The Magic Flute" premiered in Vienna on September 30, 1791, less than three months before Mozart's death. Mozart conducted the orchestra and Emanuel Schikaneder, who wrote the libretto, played Papageno, while the role of the Queen of the Night was sung by Mozart's sister-in-law Josepha Hofer. "The Magic Flute" takes the form of a singspiel (song-play) that intersperses songs, ballads, and arias with passages of spoken dialogue. The story mixes elements of romance, fairy tale, and quest narratives with thrilling operatic derring-do. The eponymous flute has the power to mesmerize and subdue savage beasts - and men.

William Kentridge is a versatile artist whose work combines the political with the poetic. Best known for his animated films based on charcoal drawings, he also works in prints, books, collage, sculpture, and the performing arts. He created his first production of "The Magic Flute" in 2005 for the Royal Opera House in Belgium.

He directed and designed the sets for the new La Scala production, which is conducted by Roland Böer, with a cast of first-rate Mozart performers. The running time is approximately three hours, plus intermission, and tickets are priced at $18 for Parrish members and $22 for nonmembers.

Puccini's opera "The Girl of the Golden West," based on the play of the same
name by David Belasco, premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1910. While Puccini's opera unfolds in a California mining camp during the Gold Rush of 1849, this extravagant new production from the Netherlands Opera is directed by the renowned Nikolaus Lehnhoff and stars Eva-Maria Westbroek in her favorite role as the spirited cowgirl Minnie. In Lehnhoff's hands, Puccini's tale blasts to bold new places in a futuristic production which is sprinkled with Hollywood glitz as it updates the Wild West story to the capitalist culture of Wall Street. "The Girl of the Golden West" (or La Fanciulla del West) features the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chorus of the Netherlands Opera. The production runs 160 minutes, plus one intermission. Tickets are $14 for Parrish members, $17 for nonmembers.

Local Wines, Food, Silent Auction, And Music On Menu Of Parrish's Annual Wine Tasting And Networking Event

The Business Council of the Parrish Art Museum will host Two Forks and a Cork, its seventh annual wine tasting event, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., on Friday, March 25. The Museum's concert hall will be transformed into a lively wine bar, where guests may socialize with other members of the East End business community while enjoying local wines, artisanal foods, a silent auction, and live acoustic reggae by Project Vibe.

"The Magic Flute" takes the form of a singspiel. (Courtesy Photo: PAM)

This year's participating wineries include Bedell Cellars, Channing Daughters Winery, Corey Creek Vineyards, Duck Walk South, Jamesport Vineyards, Palmer Vineyards, Peconic Bay Winery, and Wölffer Estate Vineyard. Thyme & Again will provide seasonal hors d'oeuvres.

Event tickets are $40 for Parrish members, $50 for nonmembers. New members who join the Parrish's Business Council will receive four free tickets. Additional information and tickets are available from the Membership Department, 631-283-2118, ext. 49, by e-mail from membership@parrishart.org, and from the Museum's website at www.parrishart.org.

Two Forks and a Cork is supported in part by the Parrish Art Museum Business Council and the generous support of our Principal Sponsors: Bridgehampton National Bank, Classic Party Rentals, Hampton Jitney, Hamptons Creative Group, Pine Barrens Printing, Rose Jewelers, Southampton Publick House, Thyme & Again, and Weber & Grahn.

Additional support has been provided as follows:

Wine Enthusiasts: Brown Harris Stevens; Maran Corporate Risk Associates; Tamara Comolli Fine Jewelry Collection; and Thomas C. Taylor, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC.

Wine Novices: 27 Hampton Salon, James & Bianka Lefferts; Branch Services-DKI; Martin R. Gilmartin, Attorney and Counselor at Law; Kobel Plumbing and Heating LLC; and Suffolk County National Bank.

Wine Tasters: Joan Macri, Wells Fargo; Councilman Christopher R. Nuzzi, Town of Southampton; Out East Therapy of New York; Eugene Parker, O.D.; and Southampton Inn.

The Business Council is a network of local and regional business leaders with a strong interest in promoting the vitality of the East End through support of the Parrish Art Museum. Members receive special benefits including public recognition of their involvement, invitations to events, special discounts, and free admission to the Museum. The Business Council holds three networking events a year designed specifically to provide members with an opportunity to increase their visibility within the East End community, to meet other business leaders, and to link the name of their firms with an important cultural presence on Long Island. Membership is open to all businesses.

The Museum's programs are made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, celebrating 50 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State's 62 counties, and the property taxpayers from the Southampton School District and the Tuckahoe Common School District.