By Randi Bjornstad
It’s an unusual — but fascinating — premise for a concert program, combining the storytelling talents of Rickie Birran, aka the Man of Words Theatre Company, with the musical prowess of the Delgani String Quartet, playing the suitably ominous strains of Eugene composer Paul Safar as well as works by Dmitri Shostakovich and Leoš Janáček.
The title is “Murder and Madness,” and the show delves into some of the most celebrated literary crimes of insanity, or at least passion, including the writings of Leo Tolstoy, Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
Rickie Birran has made a career of reciting interesting literary pieces from memory
Birran is known for his recitations of literary works, including Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” which he performs at least 50 times during the Saturday Market’s Holiday Market hours during the runup to Christmas at the Lane Events Center.
Through the years, he’s also added some more esoteric recitations to his repertoire, including an unusual dramatization of the entire biblical Book of Revelation — probably the most feared and dreaded in the entire Bible — which takes him more than 90 minutes to relate.
But this is lighter fare. Specifically, Birran will narrate Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” as Delgani plays the premiere of Safar’s composition of the same name.
He also will recite monologues from Shelley’s most famous work, “Frankenstein,” accompanied by passages from Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8.
Tolstoy’s contribution to the program is excerpts from his 1889 novella, “The Kreutzer Sonata,” which in fact inspired Janáček to compose his String Quartet No. 1, in 1923, to the point that it often is called the Kreutzer Sonata. In Tolstoy’s story, a woman pianist develops a relationship with a violinist, driving her husband so insane that he murders her. Naturally, Birran takes the part of the narrator, who is the woman’s husband.
The evening also includes a silent auction titled Save Yourself! to benefit the nonprofit Delgani String Quartet and its community outreach activities.
Members of the Delgani String Quartet are violinists Jannie Wei and Wyatt True, violist Kimberlee Uwate and cellist Eric Alterman.
Murder and Madness
When: 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 21
Where: Wildish Community Theater, 630 Main St., Springfield
Tickets: $25 to $35, available at the box office or online at wildishtheater.com
Information: delgani.org
