On top of the concert series, another challenge is putting on the biennial festival itself. Its central component is the production and performance of a rare baroque opera masterpiece.
In most years, the opera is an old one that has not been performed for hundreds of years. But in June 2005, BEMF will present the world premiere of a recently rediscovered opera, Boris Goudenow by Johann Mattheson.
The opera was written in 1710 but never produced in the composer’s lifetime. It was kept in the Hamburg Library until World War II, when the score, along with many others, disappeared (apparently hidden from anticipated bombing raids).
“After the war, Boris landed in Soviet hands and was eventually transferred to Armenia by a scholar interested in the works of Mattheson,” says artistic director Paul O’Dette. “The score was ‘discovered’ in an Armenian archive and then returned to Hamburg in 1998.”
The BEMF was contacted and offered the world premiere rights of the opera, says Fay. “We then traveled to Germany where we got to see and touch the original score. We also went to Russia where we auditioned Russian opera singers, since the story is Russian, though the composer was German.”
After the gigantic task of picking an opera comes the even bigger task of producing it. “There are generally 150 costumes per opera, plus very demanding sets,” Fay says. “But that’s what I love the most about my job: the production, development, and realization of the opera. It’s incredibly rewarding.”
Besides the June extravaganza, there are a number of concerts and events throughout the year, including performances by the famous choral groups Tallis Scholars on Dec. 11, and the Hilliard Ensemble on March 6.
“I’m personally very excited about our Feb. 4 concert, which will be held in Sanders Theatre,” says Fay. “Hopefully we will be using Harvard’s fortepiano and one of Harvard’s professors will give a pre-concert lecture.”
Fay also praises the contributions the University has made to the festival. “We definitely love working with Harvard,” she says. “It’s a great resource for us.”