Rogovoy Report For January 9, 2015

Talea Ensemble’s performance of “Happy End” by Greek composer Georges Aperghis will be the centerpiece of the sixth annual I/O Festival of New Music, which takes place in the '62 Center at Williams College today through Saturday. The festival will also feature a rendition of Philip Glass's classic “Music in Similar Motion,” as well as new works by student and alumni composers. An evening length work, “Happy End” is a retelling of the Charles Perrault fairy tale “Le Petit Poucet” featuring live music, electronics, and an animated film by Hans Op de Beeck. 

Museumgoers still have a few weeks left to catch Monet | Kelly, the first exhibition to consider the influence of Impressionist painter Claude Monet on the works of leading contemporary American artist Ellsworth Kelly, on view at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown. The works in the exhibition were selected by Kelly and include two paintings and eighteen unpublished drawings by the artist. The exhibition examines how both Monet’s motifs and the sites that inspired his paintings have shaped Kelly’s approach to his work. Monet | Kelly will be on view through February 15.

Club Helsinki Hudson’s annual Elvis Presley Birthday Bash, featuring Mark Gamsjager and the Lustre Kings plus other special guests, will take place on Saturday at 9pm, just two days after what would have been the King’s 80th birthday. For several decades, the Capital District-based Lustre Kings have been keeping the sound of early rockabilly alive, both in the region and across the U.S. and around the world. They bring an immediacy to the joyful music with a dark underbelly that has compelled performers like Wanda Jackson, the Queen of Rockabilly, as well as Bill Kirchen, Eddie Angel and Robert Gordon, to draft them into the service of rock ‘n’ roll revivalism. For the Elvis Birthday Bash at Helsinki Hudson, the Lustre Kings are expected to be joined by other members of the region’s talented rock ‘n’ roll revival scene.

“Queen of Serpents,” an innovative fashion exhibition featuring Baltic-style works by Lithuanian born, regionally based fashion designer VilmaMaré, is on display now through February at McDaris Fine Art at 623 Warren Street in Hudson. This exhibition of artisanal clothing styles includes coats, skirts and other vestments based in Baltic mythology. Besides the usual body protection and adornment of apparel, Maré also maintains its spiritual content, as protection against harm and attractor of fertility and happiness. Additionally, Maré will exhibit five oversized, sartorial tapestries based on characters from the mythical story of Egle, “Queen of Serpents,” and nine large original flags depicting a traditional celebration scene. A closing reception on Sunday, February 22, from 2 to 4pm, will feature an artist talk by Maré, in which she will discuss the importance of portraying the studious cultural history of ethnic minorities who observed and valued above all the powers of Nature.