Dreams, Fantasies, & Stupors

Dreams, Fantasies, & Stupors is a whirlwind tour through the intoxicating realms of imagination, indulgence, and mischief. This classical cabaret recital saunters from the flickering glow of a candlelit tavern to the wild whimsy of late-night revelry, weaving together fantasy, curiosity, and hilarity. Featuring a vibrant program of classical, cabaret, and contemporary song, the evening showcases music by Debussy, Schoenberg, Ravel, Edith Piaf, Florence Price, Libby Larsen, Kurt Weill, Madeleine Dring, Tsippi Fleischer, Dvořák, and a stunning lineup of contemporary SF Bay Area composers including Nicolàs Lell Benavides, Eric Choate, and Brennan Stokes. From the haunting echoes of Apparition by Debussy to the boisterous drama of Piaf’s L’Accordéoniste and the playful charm of Sweet Zoo, this recital revels in the blurred edges of reality and reverie. Structured in five evocative sections—Enter the Tavern, Nightlife Shenanigans, Nostalgic Silliness, The Sloppy Drunk, and Closing Time—the program invites audiences to stumble through a dreamlike world of raucous laughter, wistful memories, and inebriated poetry. The evening brims with the unexpected, capturing the thrill of a moonlit adventure, the hilarity of barroom antics, and the melancholy glow of last call. Whether through the decadent harmonies of Weill, the impressionistic mist of Debussy, or the biting wit of contemporary composers, Dreams, Fantasies, & Stupors is a heady mix of musical storytelling that saunters its way through states of fantasy, curiosity, and hilarity.

PROGRAM
Entering the Tavern
Who says words with my mouth? (Nicolàs Lell Benavides)
En sourdine (Claude Debussy)
Apparition (Claude Debussy)
Lift me into Heaven (Libby Larsen)

Nightlife Shenanigans
Tobacco (Florence Price)
Youkali (Kurt Weill)
Der genügsame Liebhaber (Arnold Schoenberg)
La Vie en rose (Edith Piaf)
L'Accordeoniste (Edith Piaf)
Song of a Nightclub Proprietress (Madeleine Dring)

Nostalgic & Silly
My Papa's Waltz (Eric Choate)
Sweet Zoo (Barbra Streisand)
Billy the Kid (Libby Larsen)
A Flea and a Fly (Florence Price)
Fire Aria (Maurice Ravel)

Sloppy and Bizarre
Midnight Snack (Akshaya Avril Tucker)
Herzgewächse, op. 20 (Arnold Schoenberg)

Closing Time
Travel's End (Florence Price)
Song to the Moon (Antonín Dvořák)

The full program runs 90 minutes including spoken program notes. If a shorter runtime is preferred, we have comprehensive selections prepared for 75 and 50 minute lengths.