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Stage: hot ticket
By JOHN FLEMING, Times Performing Arts Critic
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 1, 2002
Sounds from the sweet life
For 19 years, Christine Mori was the pianist of the Florida Orchestra, but eventually it became too hectic to raise her daughter, Alexis Spieldenner, now 11, and continue to keep the arduous schedule of an orchestra musician. Though she retired from the position in 1998, she still plays with the orchestra from time to time.
Catherine Landmeyer had a similar predicament as principal flute of the orchestra from 1988 to 2000. She retired to stay home with her two daughters, Hannah, 4, and Sarah, 19 months.
Now pianist Mori and flutist Landmeyer have joined with Alexis, a harpist, to form Trio Dolce Vita. It's an unusual combination of instruments for chamber music, and their repertoire consists mainly of duos by composers such as Faure, Dussek, Debussy, Poulenc and Satie. They have only one piece for all three, a Haydn trio in an arrangement that has the harp playing the cello part.
"We're keeping our program very accessible, keeping it simple so maybe children would like to come," said Mori, pictured with Alexis, principal harp of the Pinellas Youth Symphony for two seasons.
Trio Dolce Vita debuts at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center. Tickets: $10 and $12. (727) 942-5605.
From scripture to stage
"I guess I could say I got the idea from a book someone left in my hotel room," says Gary Richardson. Thus begins the droll explanation of the genesis of The Rock and the Rabbi, a musical by author Richardson, left, and composer Danny Hamilton about the friendship between the apostle Peter and Jesus Christ.
"Danny . . . and I worked together on a combination of storytelling and acoustic music," Richardson says. "Rather than a large, costumed drama, our musical would feature a small cast of men that would recount the story in a simple, powerful fashion . . . much like the original rabbi and his disciples."
Since its premiere at Ruth Eckerd Hall in 1998, the show has played a variety of venues, including the off-Broadway Lamb's Theater in March. Hamilton's music will also be heard in the upcoming LiveArts production of The Manhattan Casino at the Coliseum in St. Petersburg.
The Rock and the Rabbi has five shows this weekend at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's Ferguson Hall. Times are 8 p.m. Friday, and 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets: $20-$35. (813) 229-7827 or toll-free 1-800-955-1045.
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