Stephen Hegedus in sexy double-bill

Stephen Hegedus and Krisztina Szabó

How could this marketing campaign not catch our attention?

Bass-barihunk Stephen Hegedus is currently performing Franz Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin at Against the Grain in Toronto along with mezzo-soprano Krisztina Szabó performing Olivier Messiaen’s Harawi. They are joined by accompanist Topher Mokrzewski.

Director Joel Ivany has put together this double-bill of two very different sounding song cycles, tied together by Death/Desire. Die schöne Müllerin is comprised of twenty songs that move from cheerful optimism to despair and tragedy. Messiaen's Harawi features twelve songs centering around the death of two lovers, thus providing a vehicle from the composer's exploration of the theme of love-death central to the myth of Tristan and Isolde.

The show opened on June 2nd to great acclaim and seats are limited for the two remaining performances tonight and tomorrow.