Coffee & Cocoa Cantatas Live at Universal Preservation Hall

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Mostly Modern Projects presents J.S Bach’s “Coffee Cantata” & Robert Paterson’s “Cocoa Cantata” June 17 and 18 at Universal Preservation Hall. Social distance protocols will be in place for attendees. 

American Modern Ensemble performs the world premiere production of “Cocoa Cantata,” music by Saratoga Springs resident Robert Paterson (and libretto by Time Out New York’s David Cote). This is paired with J.S. Bach’s “Coffee Cantata;” both feature Cree Carrico, soprano, Steven Stull, baritone, and David Neal, bass-baritone. “Cocoa Cantata” is a mini-drama with sparkling roles for soprano, baritone, and bass-baritone, exploring power and ethics in the multi-billion-dollar chocolate industry, using Bach’s instrumentation. 

“Cocoa Cantata” is delicious to anyone who loves chocolate—or tries to control their craving for it! Also on the program is a contemporary adaptation of J.S. Bach’s “Coffee Cantata” (c. 1734). More than just an English version of the German libretto by Christian Friedrich Henrici, this new work aims for a “fresh-brewed” vision of the father-daughter conflict over java. Cote’s new libretto retains the essential plot: a frustrated father tries to convince his coffee-chugging daughter to forsake the bean. When the father dangles marriage as a bargaining tool, they reach a decaffeinated détente. For more information, go to: universalpreservationhall.org.