Jack Beeson: Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth
Liner Notes   Cat. No. NWCRL406     Release Date: 2010-01-15
Rachel Lockhart, a widow (soprano) ......................Carol Wilcox
Hannah Moody, a spinster (mezzosoprano) .................Judith Christin
Reuben Waterford (tenor).................................Grayson Hirst
Colonel Killigrew (baritone) ............................Robert Shiesley
Dr. Heidegger (bass-baritone) ...........................Alfred Anderson
A Maid (speaking role) ..................................Miranda Beeson

Ronald Oakland, violin; Joseph Schor, violin; Ronald Carbone, viola; Michael Haber, cello; John Beal, bass; Karla Moe, flute; Mitchell Kriegler, clarinet; Charles Russo, clarinet; Joseph Passaro, percussion; Gerald A. Brown, harmonium, celesta, piano; Ruth Negri, harp; Thomas Martin, Conductor

Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment” is one of those Hawthorne tales in which he delights his reader with moral ambiguities and with events that may be natural, supernatural, or both. However, although such ambiguities may be delightful on the printed page, they can be baffling and exasperating when transferred to the stage. A theatre audience, caught in the flux of action, words, and music, needs to know who is who, where the action is, and when and what-if-anything-is-meant to be ambiguous. It needs the steady escort of the writer and the composer who clearly and forcefully shape their means toward clearly defined ends.

In adapting Hawthorne’s story, the supernatural was not invoked: the ghosts in Heidegger’s study are in the imagination of the superstitious maid, who dislikes dusting skeletons and over-sized books. However, some ambiguities remain: Is the transformation of the rose a parlor trick? Is the elixir merely a “fine old wine”? As to the transformations of Heidegger’s friends, perhaps they really happen; perhaps “. . . only thinking makes it so.”

This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.

Various Artists

Jack Beeson: Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth

MP3/320 $7.99
FLAC $7.99
WAV $7.99
CD-R $7.99
CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print material or jewel case included.
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
   Liner Notes



Track Listing

Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: Grave
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "When My Friends Arrive..."
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Welcome, My Dear Old Friends"
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Yesterday There Came A Messenger..."
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Astounding!"
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Is This A Practical Joke?"
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Well Then, A Toast!"
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Another Toast!"
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "My Dearest Rachel..."
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "It's True, it's You..."
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Welcome Back!"
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Yet Something Stirs..."
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "He Takes Her Hand..."
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Seventeen!"
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Yonder Stands A Cherry Tree..."
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Hannah, How Unlike You!"
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Oh, No!"
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "Are We, Too, Grown Old Again So Soon?"
Jack Beeson
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Dr. Heidegger's Fountain of Youth: "I, Too, Have Squandered Many Precious Hours..."
Jack Beeson
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