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During the fall of 2012 Flagello's operetta for children--Rip Van Winkle--will be presented in New Rochelle, NY. Sponsored by the New Rochelle Council on the Arts, in collaboration with The Songcatchers and Tutti Bravi Productions, the tuneful operetta will have three performances at the Daniel Webster School, 95 Glenmore Drive, in New Rochelle. Performances will be on Nov. 16 and 17, at 7:00, and on Nov. 18 at 2:00. For further information, please call (914) 654-8312 or (914) 654-1178. In Spring, 2012, Naxos released the first recording of Flagello's Passion of Martin Luther King, in its original version. This recording features the composer's late brother Ezio as bass-baritone soloist, accompanied by the Ambrosian Singers and the London Philharmonic, conducted by the composer. This studio performance was originally recorded in 1969, but was never released because of subsequent revisions made by the composer at the request of conductor James DePreist, who led the world premiere at the Kennedy Center. But many believe that the original version was a more effective and more fully realized composition. The reviews have already begun to confirm that contention. Fanfare critic Phillip Scott wrote, "Throughout, the composer’s sense of musical and dramatic timing remains absolutely flawless.... This is music to live with and love, in performances of color and commitment." David Denton wrote, "It is going to be one of my discs of the year," while the noted critic and orchestral administrator Henry Fogel wrote, "The performance of Passion is gorgeous—conducted with utter conviction and apparent skill, and sung with total involvement and ringing tone by Flagello and the chorus." In Opera News Joshua Rosenblum wrote, "The vocal writing is unfailingly lyrical,” and noted that Ezio offered “a magnificent rendition of the solo part.” The recording also features Ezio Flagello singing Nicolas’ The Land and L’Infinito. Another important recording is scheduled for release by Naxos in 2013: Flagello’s Odyssey, Symphony No. 2, Concerto Sinfonico (as transcribed for band by M. Patterson), and Valse Noire (as transcribed for saxophone quartet by W. Simmons). The recording will feature the University of Houston Wind Ensemble, conducted by David Bertman, along with the University’s saxophone quartet. The International Harp Competition and the American Harp Society National Competition, both to be held in the summer of 2013, in Bloomington, Indiana, and Los Angeles respectively, have selected Flagello’s Harp Sonata as one of the test pieces. In August, 2011, the town of Piaggine, Italy, in the province of Salerno, honored Nicolas Flagello and his brother Ezio, a world-famous operatic bass-baritone, among other distinguished individuals who trace their ancestry to this town. The event culminated in a concert, the inauguration of a museum, and the re-naming of a street in the town after the brothers. Read more about this event.
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