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NMM Live! | Flower & Flame's "A Christmas Carol" - Vermiilion

Dec 1, 2023 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

The show is one that everyone might recognize, but few may have seen presented in this way.

Flower and Flame was conceived by Magdalena (Maggie) Modzelewska, the violinist for the group. This South Dakota based ensemble has been performing in America and Europe since 2002. But what has it become, exactly?

The concept is an antique one. It was originally called the “melody-drama” (or melodrama) in which music and words take an equal part in the show. In the old days, audiences thought nothing of the actors leaving the stage or becoming silent while the musicians continued the story with only their music. Both Modzelewska and Fickbohm wondered if that would work—would people nowadays be wanting more music and less acting. Or the opposite?

“The stage time is shared equally between the story and the music—absolutely 50/50,” says Fickbohm. “Our Christmas Carol runs along and even the kids sit spellbound the whole time. We like to say that this production is the result of many years of trial and success. It’s funny and ghostly, but mostly it always seems brand new.”

Modzelewska talks about how the new idea began to develop from the musician's point of view: "When you read great stories and then search for music to go with them, you find a world of sound to work with. All of a sudden, things have new meaning, and we add it all into the mix. For the stage show, we even use stand up floor lamps and an old-time parlor carpet. Some people have told us that they felt like they were transported to their grandmother’s living rooms for a story.”

The players are:
Violin: Magdalena Modzelewska
Actor: Script & Narration, Darrel Fickbohm
Viola: Yi-Chun Lin
Oboe: Jeff Paul
Bassoon: John Tomkins

FREE WITH MUSEUM ADMISSION

A live stream of this concert will be available to watch for free at: https://www.nmmusd.org/nmm-live-video