The concert opened with Richard Strauss’ Serenade for Winds, Opus 7. This work is the first truly important composition by Strauss and it is the first work of his to find a stable position in woodwind ensemble repertoire. It was written when Strauss was seventeen years old, and the writing for the horns certainly reflects the influence of good horn performance he grew up with listening to as his father, Franz Strauss, was one of Europe’s notable French horn virtuosos. It also attracted the attention of the conductor Hans von Bülow, who proceeded to encourage Richard Strauss and help him become established as a composer. While the structure of this Serenade is in the classical style, i.e., the sonata allegro form, it is not a mere imitation of Mozart, let us say. It has the delicacy of Mendelssohn, but the harmonies that Strauss uses, even at the age of seventeen, began pushing the envelope. It contains some absolutely wonderful, rich sound, especially at the beginning of the recapitulation section (the sonata form has three sections; exposition, development, and recapitulation) where the French horns (a wind ensemble always has French horns) are at their most mellifluous.

The performance of this piece was quite excellent. The entire group was very precise in their entrances, and the phrases were well shaped with dynamics and truly flowed. I was again struck by Devin Hughes’ conducting in that it is not necessarily demonstrative as one usually thinks when considering other conductors. His movements are very economical, but when the music demands it, he can shape the phrases with large sweeping motions. I have always been in the audience when Mr. Hughes conducts – as opposed to being in the ensemble he is conducting – so I do not know what facial expressions he uses to emphasize the movements he makes. Most conductors do rely on facial expressions to help communicate the composer’s requirements to the orchestra. You must understand that the conductor’s job is to be the intermediary between the composer and the orchestra. Devin Hughes does the job well.

Next on the program came the wonderful Serenade for Winds, K. 361, by Mozart. Nowadays, there is very little doubt that this work was inspired by his friendship with Anton Stadler, a fine clarinet player who Mozart met shortly after arriving in Vienna in 1781. Stadler was also the inspiration and recipient of Mozart’s immortal Clarinet Concerto, K. 622. I stated above that there is no longer any doubt as to why this work was written, but there are still those who state that it was written for Mozart’s wedding to Constanze Weber, to be played at their wedding reception. To make a very long story short, this idea was promulgated by the mistranslation (I am being polite, here, in using that word) of a letter by Mozart in which he supposedly explains the origin of K. 361. Thorough scholarship has proven otherwise, but some individuals with less meticulous motives still say that it was for Constanze.

No matter what its origins, the performance Saturday night was truly excellent. The work is in seven sections and begins with a slow introduction to the opening fast movement. The precision of this group was readily noticeable. Their attacks and releases were excellent as was their tune. And certainly, in this particular work, Hughes’ conducting style fit perfectly. Always expressive, but very controlled. There is no question that this ensemble is accustomed to Hughes conducting and that they respect it. It would be interesting to see one of their rehearsals; I suspect they are quite rigorous. Certainly, woodwinds players need to be capable of extremely good breath control, but I was quite dazzled by the very long phrases and held notes performed by the oboist, Alexis Junker. And I might point out, that her tone control was quite remarkable as well. Everyone in this ensemble, and it needs to be stated again, was really at the top of their form, especially in the Theme and Variation movement which is the sixth out of the seven. The only noticeable irregularity occurred at the opening of the fifth movement, Romance, where the entrance was ragged. But truly, that was the only fuzzy spot in the first half of the program.

After the intermission, the Boulder Symphony winds performed one of the great 20th century compositions: Igor Stravinsky’s “The Soldiers Tale.” I first heard this piece when I purchased a recording of it way back in 1955 or 1956. I cannot remember which ensemble performed it, but as I recall – and I could be wrong here – it was narrated by Sir John Gielgud. I do know that Gielgud, who died in the year 2000, did make recordings of this as the narrator. This remarkable piece is for violin, contrabass, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, and percussion. Though it was originally written for these seven instruments, it also features four speaking parts; the devil, the soldier, a princess, and unseen narrator. In the original version, the devil and the princess are also required to dance. However, the most common concert performance is as a suite without narration. I must say that I did miss the narration. The Soldiers Tale is a fable about a soldier whose soul is eventually captured by the devil after the devil challenges him to playing his violin. Make no mistake about it: this is a very difficult piece. It involves all of Stravinsky’s many gifts of rhythm complexity and instrumental virtuosity. For example, the sixth movement is named Three Dances: Tango, Waltz & Ragtime. The violin begins the tango with just a short snippet and the percussion finishes the rhythm. There is no question that as a member of the ensemble, if one listens to the other instruments, rather than watches the conductor and count, all will be lost in a mass of confusion. This is another example of its difficulty, for trained musicians find it difficult not to listen, but all reliable musicians must count.

The musicians that participated in the Stravinsky were Rebekah Durham, violin; Dale Day, contrabass; Katie Vedder, clarinet; Brian Jack, bassoon; Dan Smathers, trumpet; Mike Roper, trombone; and Tracy Fielder, percussion. I wish that the program had contained biographical information on these musicians. They were all quite excellent. I do know that the violinist, Rebekah Durham, has a very impressive background – she has the coveted Artist Diploma, as well as her Bachelor’s degree Magna Cum Laude from the Lamont School of Music, and she has performed with this orchestra previously in the Brahms Violin Concerto. She has won many competitions and awards and is now a graduate student at the Juilliard School. After this performance, she is headed to Korea where she will perform Glazunov’s Violin Concerto. Her performance in the Stravinsky was, as usual, exceptional from every point of view. She is a very exciting violinist. The other members of the ensemble were truly fine, as well.

In 1966, I had the marvelous opportunity to speak with Igor Stravinsky for about two hours. I asked him about this piece and told him how much I admired it. He said that he was always a little surprised by its great reception, and that it had been written in 1918 when times were hard. You must remember that 1918 was post-World War I, and many composers were deprived of royalties because of the revolution. So many lost so much. I, for one, will never forget that early recording that I owned, and the narrator’s opening soliloquy, “Down the hot and dusty road tramps a soldier with his load…” This performance brought back many memories.

If this performance was any indication of what lies ahead for conductor Devin Hughes and the newly named Boulder Symphony Orchestra, then their future is bright indeed. This is a community orchestra, and its woodwind section and horn section and contrabass section have proved to be exceptional. In many ways, it is not like the old days.

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Robin McNeil lives with his wife in Littleton where he teaches piano privately and continues to do research on the French composer Théodore Gouvy and the Medieval Mass. McNeil is an honorary member of the Institut Théodore Gouvy of Hombourg-Haut, France; president of the Piano Arts Association; and a member of the Henry Bradshaw Society (for the preservation and publication of rare liturgical documents).
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Preceding the concert was a reception that included many dignitaries and persons of note. University of Denver Chancellor Robert Coombe was the host of the concert, and the esteemed guests included the former president of Argentina, Fernando de la Rúa, Amb. Adam Blackwell from the Organization of American States, and Jim Polsfut, president of the Americas Roundtable, Biennial of the Americas.

You must understand that the Youth Orchestra of the Americas is comprised of 24 members between the ages of 18 and 30 and they represent some of the finest young musicians in this hemisphere from nineteen different nations. The auditions for this string orchestra are rigorous, and it seems to me that virtually every member of the orchestra could easily be a soloist. And by the way, one of the members of this orchestra is DU’s own Sarah Johnson. This orchestra brought with them two conductors, Felipe Humberto Hidalgo Harris of Chile, and Eddy Marcano of Venezuela.

Harris’ career as a conductor began with the founding of the Youth Orchestra of Santiago (1996). In 1998 he conducted the Symphonic Bows and Youth Orchestras of Falcon in Venezuela. In 2000 he was appointed resident conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Fifth Region. He has created numerous children’s orchestras in various parts of Chile. He is director of the Metropolitan Student  Orchestra (OSEM) which is a major Symphony Orchestra of the Foundation for Youth and Children Orchestras of Chile. He has led in the OSEM orchestra since 2003. He has also toured with the National Youth Chamber Orchestra to Cuba.

As a violinist, he was the first concertmaster of the National Youth Symphony Orchestra of Chile since its inception, concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of the Teatro Municipal, and Principal Second Violin with the Philharmonic Orchestra at Carnegie Melon (Pittsburgh). Hidalgo has performed as soloist with various orchestras and groups throughout Chile (Concepción Symphony, Orchestra USACH, and UC Chamber Orchestra among others). He was also one of the founders the Ensemble Quidrivium, and has conducted and performed numerous premieres of contemporary Chilean, Latin American, and American works, such as the South American premiere of George Crumb’s Black Angels. He has recorded five CDs of Chilean contemporary music.

Eddy Marcano is one of the great violinists and conductors of Venezuela and is recognized as one of the leading exponents of the instrument throughout Latin America. As an orchestra member, he is first violinist of the renowned Simón Bolívar Symphony  Orchestra, a position for which he has received the highest decorations. As a soloist, he has performed with leading orchestras in Venezuela and around the world, receiving the highest accolades. He has participated in national and international festivals throughout Latin America and in Germany, Spain, the United States and England.

Marcano  is professor of violin at the Simon Bolivar Conservatory of Music and the Emil Friedman School. He also served as President of the Nueva Esparta Symphony Orchestra Foundation and director of the Junior Orchestra af the Mantalban Academic Center. He has been engaged by UNESCO and the Organization of American States (OAS) in establishing youth and infant orchestras in Honduras, Mexico, Uruguay, Paraguay and Guatemala, for which orchestras he has also served as conductor and violin professor. He is a member of the UNESCO Music of Venezuela Council.

The program opened with a work by Philip Glass, entitled “Company.” Glass is an American composer – he was born in 1937 – and is considered one of the most influential composers of this century. He is known as a minimalist composer who uses music with repetitive structures, but recently, he has been avoiding that particular label. This work, “Company”, certainly fills the description minimalist. It is a brief work which has driving rhythms and a sense of urgency, even though the first movement is relatively slow. The second movement ends rather suddenly leading to a flowing third movement. The final movement is fast, and recalls many of the ideas of the previous movements, but it also ends rather suddenly. This is a difficult work and it was immediately apparent that this is, in spite of its youth, a very professional orchestra. Their playing is exciting, very precise while being extremely passionate. Glass arranged this work for string quartet. This is the first time I have heard the string orchestra version and I think that I prefer it, especially when it is performed with such remarkable musicianship.

Following the Glass, the YOA performed the Sinfonia Nr. 5 by the great Mexican composer, Carlos Chávez (1899-1978). Chávez had a very wide range of abilities; he was a conductor, a composer, pianist, a musical scholar of great ability, and the executive director of the National Bureau of Fine Arts. His first published compositions come from his early twenties, and if one looks hard enough, one can still find some of his songs in print, which have always reminded me of Henri Duparc. His fifth symphony is a neoclassical work that contains some very imaginative writing in its elaboration of themes and instrumental technique. In the first movement, the themes are very closely related, in fact they seem almost like different rhythmic variations of the same theme. There are groups of 16th notes that seem to unify the entire structure. It is very different from the second movement which seems almost improvisational and ends very quietly. The third movement contains some contrapuntal rising which makes it very easy to assign the label “neoclassical.” This is also a very difficult piece and the Maestro Eddy Marcano seemed more comfortable in this work than he did in the Glass. His conducting was very expressive and also very expansive. The orchestra had absolutely no problem with the difficult rhythms and dynamics that changed with great suddenness. It was also obvious that the orchestra enjoyed playing this piece, as well as being a member of a group that was able to perform well in public.

At the beginning of this performance it was announced there would be some changes in the program. However, the addition was announced so quickly that I simply did not catch it, so my apologies must go to those who performed and those who read this article. The piece that they did perform displayed the amazing ability of the concertmaster and the principal cellist. Both had remarkable technique and remarkable tone production. The work was conducted by Felipe Hidalgo, and it was very interesting to have such a fine orchestra conducted by two fine conductors. At the outset, it seemed one could classify Maestro Hidalgo’s conducting as a little more emotional than Marcano’s, but I must say that both conductors received what they asked for in the way of emotion and musicianship. And, again, the orchestra played with noticeable enthusiasm as they had for Maestro Marcano.

Hidalgo also conducted the next work on the program, “Sikuris Atacameño,” by Carlos Zamora, who was in the audience. Zamora was born in Chile in 1968 and is a conductor, as well as a fine composer who has written concertos, opera, chamber works and orchestral pieces. This work, and it may seem a strange thing to say in a review, was simply beautiful, however, there is no other way to describe it. A sikuri is a folk dance, and the Atacama is a region of high desert close to the Andes. This was conducted with great sensitivity and the audience responded with great enthusiasm in greeting not only the performance, but the composer as well. This was another 20th century composition that, like all the rest on this program, was tonal centered. It is interesting that so many South American composers seem to be returning to a tonal center. It seems to me that they far outnumber American composers in that respect, even though I can think of one American composer, albeit born in Argentina, who writes with a tonal center, and that is Luis Gonzalez. An argument can certainly be made that there are many composers all around the world who have returned to tonal centered compositions, but, as noted, that direction seems to have been spearheaded in South America.

Next on the program came Muerte del Angel by Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992). Piazzolla was influenced a great deal by jazz, particularly the Gerry Mulligan octet. But it was his composition teacher, Nadia Boulanger, who convinced him to return to his roots and concentrate on the tango. La Muerte del Angel belongs to an after-the-fact cycle of five Angel pieces that use the duple meter that is quite syncopated called a “milonga” and is generally thought to be the predecessor to the tango. This work, written for solo violin and string orchestra, was performed by Eddy Marcano, and is a fugue that uses tango rhythms. It is an incredibly expressive piece. I hope that one of these days I can see the score, because it seemed to call for “scooped” pitches from the solo violin which were very reminiscent of the way Fritz Kreisler played. In any case, it added much to the ambience of the work. Marcano is an excellent violinist, and not only did the audience enjoy his playing, but it was clear that the members of the orchestra did, as well.

The YOA next performed the “Fuga con Pajarillo” from the Suite for Strings by Aldemaro Romero (1928-2007). Romero, like Piazzolla, was influenced by jazz, and this composition is a compilation of flavors – jazz and Baroque. The parajillo is a dance in triple meter, and waltz like, but the accent must be placed on the second beat rather than the first. The fugue can best be described as riveting and exciting. This was so well done, that as an encore, the orchestra repeated it. It was clear that both Marcano and the orchestra enjoyed performing the work, and the audience certainly enjoyed hearing it twice. It was absolutely spellbinding.

Deservedly, the Youth Orchestra of America received a standing ovation, and it was interesting that after the applause subsided, and the members of the orchestra were leaving the stage, spontaneous applause broke out again from the audience and everybody on stage acknowledged it. In the face of such wildly extravagant comments that serious music is dying – and there are those in Denver who say that it is – it is refreshing to see young people so very talented and working so hard. This is a fine orchestra and the musicians in it worked very hard. I also hasten to point out that nearly every state in the United States has a youth orchestra that is just as good. So where do the rumors of the death of serious music come from? My strong suspicion is that it comes from individuals who do not know or appreciate serious music and therefore dismiss it out of hand. And since when did ignorance become a point of view?

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Robin McNeil lives with his wife in Littleton where he teaches piano privately and continues to do research on the French composer Théodore Gouvy and the Medieval Mass. McNeil is an honorary member of the Institut Théodore Gouvy of Hombourg-Haut, France; president of the Piano Arts Association; and a member of the Henry Bradshaw Society (for the preservation and publication of rare liturgical documents).
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The Lamont Symphony Orchestra, the Lamont Chorale, the Lamont Women’s Chorus, prepared by Catherine Sailer, and the Lamont Men’s Choir, prepared by Paul Smith, gave an absolutely spellbinding performance under the direction of Catherine Sailer on Thursday, May 27. Mind you, this was not just another good performance to add to the roster of the Lamont School of Music’s good performances. In every way, it was exceptional. It is not an easy task to assemble all of the resources necessary to perform such a huge piece of music, and the Lamont School of Music has done it twice this year: “The Planets, by Gustav Holtz, and now this marvelous oratorio. One thinks, quite readily, of the larger music schools such as Indiana University or the University of Wisconsin presenting productions like this. They were indeed fortunate to have baritone Steven Taylor sing the role of Elijah.

As the Dean of the School of Music at, CCU, baritone Steven Taylor is also known to audiences throughout the Rocky Mountain region both for his beautiful, expressive singing, and his dramatic interpretations. Steven Taylor’s versatile singing career ranges from opera and oratorio, to musical theater and gospel, appearing with major symphonies throughout the west, Central City Opera, Opera Theatre of the Rockies, Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, and sixteen seasons with Opera Colorado. As a member of the internationally acclaimed Gospel Quartet LEGACY, Steven has performed concert tours in Australia, Canada, Cuba and South Korea.

The other soloists for the evening were, Obadiah: Nathan Bird, Tenor; Ahab: Amra Tomsic, Tenor; Queen Jezebel: Cassidy Smith, Mezzo – Soprano; The Youth: Mari Sullivan, Soprano; Angel: Jeanne Ireland, Mezzo – Soprano; Angel: Sarah Cambidge, Soprano; Meg Dudley, Soprano; Marisa Walsh, Soprano; Laura Jobin-Acosta, Mezzo – Soprano; Claire Le Borgne, Mezzo – Soprano; Myranda Whitesides, Mezzo – Soprano; Hunter Hall, Tenor;  Ben Wood, Baritone and Elijah understudy. I hasten to point out that these soloists are all students, and they were absolutely superb.

It has been sometime since I have heard this oratorio performed live. As a matter, of fact I think the last time was in 1956 or 1957 when it was performed by the Indiana University School of Music. During the course of last night’s performance, I sat trying to determine what makes this work – and his oratorio, St. Paul – so distinctive. This oratorio is very different from the other orchestra and choral compositions of the Romantic period written by Liszt and Berlioz. For one thing, the Liszt and Berlioz seemed to use their choirs as another part of the instrumentation in their compositions. Mendelssohn, and for that matter Brahms and Théodore Gouvy, understood how to write fluently for a chorus and make it a meeting point of the performance, such as the incredibly beautiful “He, watching over Israel.” No part of Mendelssohn’s choruses are mere decorations. They direct our attention to the story at hand.

The opening of this oratorio is extremely dramatic. Dr. Sailer conducts with sweeping arm motions as she conducts phrases, but with subtle jabs to underscore the beat. She seldom seems to point to the sections of the orchestra or the choir to give them cue. Rather, she demands constant attention and through subtle movement of her elbows, for example, she lets the various sections know when to enter. That makes major cues and cut-offs even more dramatic and emphatic. The fact that she conducts in this manner – and that is not a criticism – emphasizes the respect with which these student musicians hold for her. I repeat, these are student musicians. It was absolutely thrilling to see the emotion and intensity with which they played and sang. The orchestra was always in tune, and truly, why shouldn’t it be, as these are young professional musicians. It was very clear that every one of the 200 or so musicians onstage practiced outside of rehearsals. What a concept! Some of the local community orchestras could follow their lead.

Steven Taylor, who sang Elijah, was incredibly dramatic, so much so that his portrayal of the prophet could often be described as fearsome. He and Dr. Sailer worked so well together that they both seemed to move the oratorio forward with a remarkable sense of direction. The choir was certainly fearsome as well, particularly when they almost screamed for Baal to answer them. It’s interesting to point out that the emotion was so strong, there was a young child perhaps three years old, three rows in front of me, who began to cry because it was so frightening.

The student soloists were also at the top of their form. Nathan Bird, Amra Tomsic, Cassidy Smith, and Sarah Cambidge were quite remarkable. They had excellent diction as well as good romantic sense. The tenor, Hunter Hall, who sang the aria, “Then shall the righteous shine forth,” and Miss Cambidge both had enormous voices, and one could easily imagine them on an operatic stage. However, all of the soloists were excellent and very well chosen for their role. As I stated above, it has been sometime since I have heard a performance where all of the performers were so emotionally involved and so eager to show the audience the power and the beauty of this work and its outstanding composer. The choir, the orchestra, and the soloists, were very precise in their rhythms and their musicianship. In the chorus, “Thanks be to God,” at the end of part one, the violin section did some remarkably fine work. Again, Cassidy Smith as Queen Jezebel in her recitative with Elijah at the beginning of part two, “The Lord hath exalted thee,” had such a dramatic voice and such excellent diction, that I was amazed that she is “only” a student. What a future she will have. The cello section of the Lamont Symphony, was wonderfully mellifluous at the end of Elijah’s aria, “Though stricken, they have not grieved.”

This was a marvelous performance in every sense of the word. Everything fell into place, and these students seem well on their way. They displayed genuine musical maturity. They are fortunate to have the leadership of Sailer, Taylor, and Smith.

Mendelssohn conducted the premiere of this oratorio on August 26, 1846, in Birmingham England. It underwent a few revisions, and Mendelssohn conducted the final version in London on April 16, 1847. On May 14, 1847, Mendelssohn’s sister, Fanny, died of a stroke in Berlin. Both of Mendelssohn’s parents died of strokes as well, so there must have been a genetic trait of some kind. Around the beginning of October, Mendelssohn himself began to feel ill. In a letter to the King of Prussia, Mendelssohn addresses this issue. It is an interesting letter, and I am sure, one of his last. It is short, and therefore I will enclose it in its entirety below:

To Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia

Leipzig. October 17, 1847

Most Serene and Powerful King,

Most Gracious Lord and Sovereign,

Your Royal Majesty,

I am taking the liberty of laying with the utmost Reverence the enclosed first copy of the score to my Elijah at your feet. It seems to me as if it were not only the deepest and innermost gratitude which makes this my duty, but as if I had no other means of proving to your Majesty how continually I strive to be more and more worthy of all the generosity Your Majesty has shown me. May these strivings be visible in the present work.

It was my hope to find an opportunity to hand this work to Your Majesty myself while in Berlin. But having been detained here by illness I would not like to wait until the score is placed before the public, and am thus making so bold as to address these lines to Your Majesty. With deepest reverence

Your Majesty’s most humble servant,

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy

On October 28, a few days after this letter was written, Mendelssohn suffered his first stroke. On November 3, he had a second stroke. He died the following day, November 4, at the age of 38.

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Robin McNeil lives with his wife in Littleton where he teaches piano privately and continues to do research on the French composer Théodore Gouvy and the Medieval Mass. McNeil is an honorary member of the Institut Théodore Gouvy of Hombourg-Haut, France; president of the Piano Arts Association; and a member of the Henry Bradshaw Society (for the preservation and publication of rare liturgical documents).
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Steven Byess is Music Director of the Tupelo Symphony Orchestra and the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, Cover Conductor for the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Ohio Light Opera, and Conductor at the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel.

He is a former faculty member of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the University of Michigan School of Music.

Mr. Byess received his Bachelor of Music Degree in classical performance and jazz studies from Georgia State University, and his Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied conducting with Louis Lane and Carl Topilow, bassoon with George Goslee and David McGill, violin with Carol Ruzicka, and piano with Olga Radosavljevich. He also attended the Pierre Monteux Memorial School for Conductors under the tutelage of Maître Charles Bruck. In addition to his conducting studies with Louis Lane, Robert Shaw, and Carl Topilow, he has worked under the auspices of the American Symphony Orchestra League with such noted conductors as Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Pierre Boulez, and Otto Werner Mueller. Mr. Byess was an assistant to conductor Robert Shaw at the Shaw Institute in Souilliac, France.

In the opening Verdi overture, it was readily apparent that the orchestra was responding to every demand placed upon them by Byess, and that one of the requests he had made of them during their rehearsals was that the violins, particularly the second violins, play in tune. And what a difference this makes! I have not heard the violins play so well since Dr. Horst Buchholz and Dr. Lawrence Golan conducted this orchestra. The opera, Joan of Arc, was written in 1845 and is Verdi’s seventh opera. It is not performed as much, perhaps because the story follows the play which was written by Friedrich Schiller, rather than remaining true to historical fact. This really is a shame because the music is quite good and is typical Verdi. Maestro Byess gave this work some genuine electric tension and there was some fine oboe work by Carlton Alexander, as well as the flutes, Cheryl Gooden and Catherine Ricca.

The Mozart Bassoon Concerto in B Flat, which followed the Verdi, is the first concerto for wind instruments. It was finished in 1774, the year in which Mozart did not travel until December. It is his only surviving bassoon Concerto, though it is suspected that he may have written three more, as well as a bassoon sonata for Thaddäus Baron von Dürnitz (who owned an astonishing seventy-four pieces by Mozart). From the outset, the violins again sounded very good. I emphasize this because throughout this season the violins have seemed to struggle even though they have a fine concert master, Kathy Thayer. It is quite possible that the entire orchestra felt an immediate connection with Maestro Byess, and of course, that is a fortunate situation. But, it would be a shame if their past struggles this season were caused by their anticipation for a conductor that they could readily connect with. One of the first things that a string player learns is to play in tune. But all of that aside, they sounded quite good in the Mozart. And of course, so did Kenneth Greenwald. Greenwald joined the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra as principal bassoonist in 2008. A native of Colorado, he grew up surrounded by music. He began studying the violin at age 5, and later, would study piano and flute. He discovered the bassoon when he was in high school, and began taking lessons with Jonathan Sherwin, and later Joann Goble, both of whom performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. He received both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in performance from the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver.

Greenwald has been a fine addition to the DPO, and his orchestral performing experience has made him a very reliable solo performer. That is to say, that he has great confidence and seems to be remarkably relaxed when he performs as a soloist. His playing is marked by great ease, and he does not seem to struggle at all with any of the technical difficulties. While his performance Friday night was very good Mozart, I would have preferred a little more playfulness and, perhaps, a little more dynamic contrast. The orchestra was quite good in their support of Greenwald, and he and Maestro Byess gave the impression that they had performed together for many years, such was their ease in this performance. One unusual feature of this concerto is the tempo marking for the second movement: Andante ma adagio (easily flowing, but slow). I would also point out that Mozart used the theme of the slow movement in his opera The Marriage of Figaro. This was really an enjoyable performance of this popular work from bassoon literature. Greenwald had absolutely no problems with the giant leaps that occur in this work.

After the intermission, the DPO performed Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. Much has been made about Tchaikovsky symphonies having programs, and it does seem that Tchaikovsky’s patroness, Nadya von Meck, asked him to write a program for this particular work. That fact led many critics to disparage the work for which nowadays seems rather silly. There’s no question that he had a true program in mind for his Sixth Symphony, and even considered calling it the Programmatic Symphony but decided against that – not only did he dislike that title, but he was afraid that people would ask him what the program was, and he never divulged the program to anyone, not even his brother. The Fourth Symphony’s program, what ever it may be, seems to be a little bit more contrived, because it was written after the symphony was completed.

Byess is not an overly demonstrative conductor, but throughout this entire concert he demonstrated great confidence in his ability to control the orchestra, and he did so with grace and passion. This is a difficult symphony, and every movement that he made seemed to say that he knew it was difficult, but there is only one way to do it, and that way is Tchaikovsky’s. The orchestra really responded to him, and there was some marvelous clarinet work from Shaun Burley. In fact, there was some marvelous work from the entire woodwind section. In the second movement, the violins had a few glitches, but the glitches lasted only a few measures and seemed odd, because they performed so well throughout the entire concert. The third movement of the symphony is a scherzo, which requires all of the strings to play pizzicato, except in the trio section of the scherzo which Tchaikovsky wrote mainly for woodwinds. The pizzicato was together and had great dynamic contrast – it really demonstrated what the strings in this orchestra can do when they put their minds to it. The fourth movement is guaranteed to give any orchestra a real workout. It is difficult. But like the first movement, it gives each section a chance to shine. The brass section, all of them, Dave Wallace on horn, Manny Araujo on trumpet, Josh Chance on trombone, and Bruce Blomquist who plays bass trombone, and Joe Walsh on Tuba, were all exceptional.

The Denver Philharmonic has established a reputation of giving absolute stellar performances in their final concert of the year. This was no exception, and the success was in so many ways due to the musicianship and leadership of Steven Byess. It was genuine pleasure to hear the violins get back into the groove. The entire orchestra worked very hard at this performance. Bravo!

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Robin McNeil lives with his wife in Littleton where he teaches piano privately and continues to do research on the French composer Théodore Gouvy and the Medieval Mass. McNeil is an honorary member of the Institut Théodore Gouvy of Hombourg-Haut, France; president of the Piano Arts Association; and a member of the Henry Bradshaw Society (for the preservation and publication of rare liturgical documents).
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The panel discussion opened with Conrad Kehn and Alberto Gutierrez making the statement that the younger generation must be introduced to serious music. Both of these gentlemen are serious themselves about music, and are in a position to have a direct influence on the younger generation. Unfortunately, Monika Vischer, whose degrees are in journalism, but who plays the flute, offered a few platitudes, such as, “Great music does not need to be explained.” (Does this also apply to literature and art, I wonder?) I point out that Ms. Vischer is a radio announcer for the local classical music station, KVOD. While she does play the flute, and has had piano lessons, her music education would seem to be “on-the-job training” acquired from reading CD liner notes. She also expressed the opinion that it seemed to her that many contemporary composers were determined to write music that had no melody whatsoever. When it was pointed out that “great music” of all ages and periods needed to be explained to individuals who lived in those periods, and when it was also pointed out that KVOD is in a unique teaching position concerning all periods of music, she stated that they had to be extremely careful with their programming or they would lose listenership. That reasoning certainly does explain KVOD’s programming which does not contain much music that is new (they have even discontinued an hour of organ music which was called “Pipe Dreams”), and they have no comment about the music that is being played other than what is read from the liner notes. While this criticism may sound quite harsh, and while there are some announcers on KVOD who do have degrees in music, it is baffling to me why they do not have a program similar to that which was done by the late Karl Haas on National Public Radio. The lack of information, and the lack of an intelligent discussion of music, sells the public short, and certainly does not do anything for the future of serious music. It is also unfortunate that the public seems to believe that everyone who works as an announcer on any radio station that plays serious music is an expert. Therefore, I think that such music programs should try to help the public understand various kinds of music in more detail. At the same time, it will certainly increase the intelligence of the listeners, and therefore they will listen more, and it will also increase the public’s understanding of what is good music criticism and what is bad music criticism, when they read it in the newspapers, or hear music being discussed on the radio.

One of the reasons that the future of serious music seems to some to be on shaky ground – aside from the fact that music is no longer offered in the public schools – is that the younger generation is not taught at any level how to think about music, or what to think about music. Some, and I emphasize some, representatives of the media have even offered glib statements, and I quote from about five years ago, “In spite of his small stature, he gets a large sound from the orchestra.” That kind of nonsense insults everyone’s intelligence, and is indicative of the writers uncaring attitude towards music, and of their own inability to understand what a critic writes about.

I have often taken to task the requirement by funding organizations that make it necessary for music organizations to become involved in outreach. It seems obvious, now, that outreach is necessary, if we are to educate the younger generations in the art of music. The reason that I have been against outreach as a funding requirement, is because it forces the organization to take time away from performing their initial obligation. But, since so many institutions that have the ability to be a platform for the arts, and for music, are abrogating that responsibility, then outreach does become a necessity, though I still do not believe it should be a funding requirement.

Those of us who are serious musicians can easily make music understood by the younger generation if we have a platform to reach them. But that platform must not be controlled by those who can see only dollar signs and ratings. Apparently those individuals also need to be educated in the value of music as an art.

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Robin McNeil lives with his wife in Littleton where he teaches piano privately and continues to do research on the French composer Théodore Gouvy and the Medieval Mass. McNeil is an honorary member of the Institut Théodore Gouvy of Hombourg-Haut, France; president of the Piano Arts Association; and a member of the Henry Bradshaw Society (for the preservation and publication of rare liturgical documents).
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I listened, today, to a CD recorded in 1995 by Lawrence Golan who, as most of you surely must know by now, is on the faculty at the Lamont School of Music at DU. However, on this CD he does not conduct, he plays the violin. And he is superb.

In 1984, he entered the Indiana University School of Music majoring in violin performance. Lawrence went on to become concertmaster of the school’s top orchestra and to receive both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with high honors. In the summer of 1989, he shared the first stand of violins in the Indiana University Festival Orchestra with his teacher—Distinguished Professor of Music, Josef Gingold. Lawrence has also studied with several other outstanding musicians including Yuval Yaron, James Buswell, Ruben Gonzalez, George Perlman, and of course his father, Joseph Golan, Principal Second Violinist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. As a matter of fact, Lawrence Golan soloed with his father, Joseph Golan, in three performances of the Bach Double Violin Concerto, conducted by Daniel Barenboim with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. What a thrill that must have been for both of them.

Dr. Golan opens the CD with J. S. Bach’s formidable Partita Nr. 2 in D minor for solo violin (BWV 1004). This, of course, is one of the works in violin repertoire by which violinists are measured, particularly, because of the Ciaccona (Chaconne) which comes at the end of the Partita. But you must understand that none of the dance movements in this partita which precede the Ciaccona are easy. The Allemanda, Corrente, Sarabanda, and Giga, all have their special difficulties. Golan gives all of these a wonderful and convincing rhythmic structure which irrevocably leads to the Ciaccona. Golan brings out the first few notes of the Allemanda, as they are important to the opening of the Ciaccona, which is a set of thirty-two variations. Of the first four stylized dance movements, my personal favorite is the Giga. Golan gives it such an incredible vivacity combined with warmth of tone that one wants to listen to it over and over again. His playing displays such an easy virtuosity that the compound meter never interferes with the flow of the melodic line. In recordings of other violinists, it sometimes seems as though the meter wants to pull the melodic line apart. This never happens in the Golan recording – it is absolutely exquisite.

In the program notes, Golan states that the Ciaccona, or Chaconne, is “Perhaps the greatest single piece of music ever written for the violin.” I have absolutely no doubt that this is true. Brahms transcribed this for the piano, as did other composers, for the left hand alone. He did this because he admired the piece very much, and he wanted the pianist to use his left hand because the violinist has to use his left hand (primarily) in order to play it. And it certainly does give the pianist a good idea of the agonies that the violinist has to go through. Brahms was so smitten with the piece, that in a letter to Clara Schumann he states that “On one stave, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings. If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattering experience would have driven me out of my mind.” Golan never departs from the baroque style of playing, and yet gives this piece absolutely remarkable expression. He does this by very subtly changing the voicing, that is to say changing the characteristics of each variation as necessary, because each variation has its own character. He accomplishes this through dynamics, phrasing, and understanding the three-part structure of this work. Keep in mind that this is a set of variations, and that implies a certain lack of architectural structure that, for example, a sonata form would have. But the three-part structure in this Chaconne is a harmonic structure – D minor, D major, D minor, and it is clear that Golan is entirely capable of emphasizing the structure (which some violinists have difficulty with). It is wonderful to hear musicality that emphasizes and makes clear, the aspects of the overall form and the development of each variation. It is my sincere hope that we here in Denver can hear Golan perform this work live in concert.

After the Bach, Dr. Golan performs the fourth of six sonatas by Eugène Ysaÿe. Ysaÿe (1858-1931), one of the finest violinists to have ever lived, dedicated one each of the six sonatas to six remarkable violinists. In order of the sonatas, they are Joseph Szigeti, Jacques Thibaud, George Enesco, Fritz Kreisler, Mathieu Crickboom, and Manuel Quiroga. Each sonata was composed so as to emphasize the particular violinist’s performance skill. Sonata Nr. 4, written for Fritz Kreisler, emphasizes the need for warmth of tone, and, I think, a deep understanding of Bach. But it contains much more that is technically demanding than just those two facets. There are some astounding difficulties in the sonata, such as five and sometimes six-note chords – and this on an instrument with only four strings (!) – remarkable polyphonic and contrapuntal demands, and difficult string-crossings, not to mention the double stops in rapid 16th notes. However, keep in mind that Lawrence Golan studied with Josef Gingold at Indiana University, and that Gingold studied with Ysaÿe. But that simple fact, and its attendant insight into the technical difficulties, most certainly does not mean that this Sonata automatically becomes easy. It’s technical demands keep less gifted violinists at bay. But in this recording, Golan simply soars. This is a remarkable recording that clearly demonstrates that Golan is a virtuoso of the highest caliber who has the stamina and courage, emotional intensity, and exuberance to perform such a difficult piece as this. His tone is lush where it needs to be lush, and his playing is fiery where it needs to be fiery. I truly found that in his performance of this terrific sonata, there wasn’t anything else to ask for.

The last work on this CD is a short piece entitled “Fantasia for Solo Violin,” which Golan composed. The Fantasia opens with the dissonant tones of Eb and G#, after which, and here I quote from the liner notes accompanying the CD:

“Three motives, each with programmatic implications, form the basis of the work. The opening’s tonal ambiguity and eventual presentation of the first motive, Bb-G#-A, project an aimless, wandering feeling-the slough of despond. The second motive, D-F-E-D, is meant to express a sense of finality. When the two motives are combined, they represent the finality and ceaseless nature of the despondency. An almost religious (Hebraic/Gypsy) chant or prayer is eventually answered with the final motive at the D Major section where triumph prevails. A final utterance of the opening’s Eb-G# in the penultimate measure is wiped out by the soaring D harmonic and the resolute final note.”

Again, this work as the others discussed above, is full of astonishing technical demands. However, it is not a shallow piece used only for the display of technical proficiency. You must understand that Golan always has a distinct musical purpose as his goal, and never uses his remarkable technique for its own sake. That also seems to be the underlying aesthetic for this composition. The music always comes first. I do not know how often Golan has performed this piece in public, but it is a solid piece that I think the public would enjoy hearing.

Lawrence Golan is ample proof that there is no artistic wasteland here in Denver, as I stated in the opening paragraph of this article. He is a world-class violinist, as he is a first-rate conductor. I sincerely hope that his duties at the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music do not take away from his time to practice and perform. We, here in Denver, need his art, and we need to give him our support as much as possible.

This performance was recorded by Entrata Records and the catalog number is ER11

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Robin McNeil lives with his wife in Littleton where he teaches piano privately and continues to do research on the French composer Théodore Gouvy and the Medieval Mass. McNeil is an honorary member of the Institut Théodore Gouvy of Hombourg-Haut, France; president of the Piano Arts Association; and a member of the Henry Bradshaw Society (for the preservation and publication of rare liturgical documents).
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Still in search for a permanent conductor, Friday’s performance was conducted by Brandon Stephen Matthews who was recently appointed Music Director of the Metro State College Symphony Orchestra as well as coordinator of string studies at Metropolitan State College of Denver. A vibrant and versatile conductor, he is equally comfortable directing ensembles on the concert stage or in the theatre pit. Matthews obtained a doctor of musical arts degree in orchestral conducting at Arizona State University, studying with Timothy Russell and William Reber. While at ASU, he served as a co-music director of the ASU Sinfonietta and was an assistant conductor for the ASU Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. He also conducted fully staged operatic performances of Gianni Schicchi, Suor Angelica, Don Pasquale, Luisa Fernanda, as well as the musical Nunsense II.

Friday’s concert began with Rossini’s Overture to Semiramide, a two act opera that Rossini finished in 1823. The title role was written for his wife, Isabella Colbran. Today, the opera is seldom performed, but the overture has won a place in standard concert repertoire, and it is certainly a rousing opening piece. Dr. Matthews took a good tempo for this overture and the horn section was excellent, as was the piccolo. For several years now, the brass and the woodwind sections of the DPO have really been outstanding. Matthews is sometimes very angular in his conducting (which is a reflection of his style, not his ability) and occasionally conducts phrases rather than a specific beat. The violin section sounded much better in this overture than I’ve heard them for the last few concerts, but tonight it was the viola section that seemed to be a little out of tune. I point out that is a little unusual because the violas usually do extremely well.

Following the Rossini, the Denver Phil performed Chopin’s Concerto in E minor, Opus 11, with Denver’s own Katie Mahan as the soloist.

Katie began her piano studies at the age of four with her mother, Bobette Mahan, and gave her first solo recital at the age of six. She made her orchestral debut in the summer of 1999 with the Breckenridge Symphony Performing Gershwin’s Concerto in F, and was subsequently invited for performances of Brahms Concerto in D minor and Ravel’s Concerto in G Major. Katie received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance Degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she was a student of Robert Spillman, graduating with highest honors. Katie was also a protégé of the late Howard Waltz, himself a pupil of the legendary French pianist, Robert Casadesus and has participated in masterclasses by such musicians as Stanislav Judenitch, Lang Lang, Lori Simms, Nancy Roldan, Simon Trpceski, and Robert McDonald. She has also studied with the renowned French pianist Michel Béroff.

The program notes, which were written by Dr. Suzanne Moulton-Gertig (and she is exactly right) state that “Much has been said in music literature of Chopin’s consummate artistry at the keyboard and the sensitivity that he brought to the piano and its literature at a time when thundering virtuosos like Liszt were touring Europe.” It isn’t that Liszt was not a consummate artist, but it is certainly the case that Chopin and Liszt were very different pianists just as they were very different individuals. One of the reasons for this difference in pianism is that Chopin’s favorite composer was Mozart because he admired the inherent clarity and the fact that everything was so exposed. And we can certainly hear that clarity reflected in Chopin’s compositions.

There is a fairly lengthy orchestral introduction to this concerto, and at the outset it is unfortunately the case that some of the violins were inconsistent in their tune. It also seemed that they were just a nano second late in their entrances on occasion. But it also seemed as though the conductor, Dr. Matthews, gave down beats of which were not readily prepared so that the orchestra could sense the downbeat was imminent. I have not seen the score for this concerto, or heard it, for quite some time, but it did seem that some of the sections were a little bit on the slow side. Ms. Mahan certainly has a good set of fingers, and she seemed very well prepared, but her playing of Chopin was a little on the heavy side without the expected lightness and finesse that I have come to associate with this composer. When I say finesse, I am referring to subtle dynamic shaping in the phrase work and difference in dynamics between the left-hand and right-hand. There did not seem to be, in this first movement, a great deal of nuance and subtlety. In the second movement, the violins improved considerably. I thought that the tempo in this movement was also a little slow, but I hasten to point out that this could be a difference in personal taste. I would have enjoyed a more personal interpretation of this movement, that is to say more introspection, for again it seemed to lack a certain subtlety of tone. The third movement was a little heavy in its opening, and unfortunately some of the violins were a little more consistent in their lack of tune. And in a few instances, some of the sections of the orchestra did not seem to be quite together.

Nonetheless, I would certainly have to say that this was a good performance, and I point out that Miss Mahan did receive a standing ovation. There was very good communication between conductor and soloist, and Miss Mahan certainly demonstrated that she is comfortable in front of an audience. I make that statement because as often as she has played with an orchestra, she is still a young artist, and every time she plays with an orchestra she gains more and more of the experience required. On occasion, it seemed that she was not concentrating as fully as necessary on some of the more delicate nuances that are innate in Chopin’s style.

After the intermission, members of the violin and viola sections of the Denver Philharmonic performed a touching arrangement of the Pie Jesu from Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem. This was in tribute to, and in memory of, Clark Robinson, who for several years was principal violist and member of the viola section in the orchestra. He passed away unexpectedly, far too early, at the age of forty-one. He was very well-liked and a good friend to everyone in the orchestra.

The final work on the program was Beethoven’s Symphony Nr. 5. I think that it is safe to say that hardly anyone on the face of the earth would not recognize the first movement of this tragic symphony. I say tragic, because not only was Europe in the grip of the Napoleonic wars, but on a personal level, Beethoven was faced at this time (he began sketching this symphony in 1806) with the reality of his growing deafness. He was also in emotional turmoil because of the litigation to gain custody of his nephew from an alcoholic brother. Matthews’ opening tempo was very good, but the opening famous theme, if one is counting, begins on the second half of the first beat with a meter signature of 2-4 time. That means there is an eighth rest followed by three eighth notes, then comes a half note which gets two beats, but it has a fermata written above it (a fermata is a ‘hold’ or suspension of time whose duration is up to the conductor). Matthews’ fermatas were so short that it distorted the downbeat for the following measure, so that the preparation for that downbeat was barely discernible. It certainly required that the orchestra keep a sharp eye on the conductor. I must say that in this opening the whole orchestra was unfailingly in tune and performed with great excitement. I was quite disappointed that Matthews decided not to take the repeat of the exposition section. I was puzzled by this, because the exposition is very short and the repeat would not have added much time to the overall length of the performance. Though the entire orchestra seems to be genuinely enthused with this work (and who could not be), I thought that in the coda, the timpanist’s enthusiasm came pretty close to covering up the whole orchestra.

Matthews began the second movement with a tempo that I thought might be just a little on the quick side. It was in this movement that the woodwinds were absolutely exceptional, especially the clarinet and bassoon. In the third movement, which is a Scherzo, much to my surprise, the low strings were a little out of tune. More noticeable perhaps, was that the eighth notes that the cellos have in the trio were not articulate and each measure of these eighth notes sounded slurred together rather than as individual notes. The last movement was taken at a very fast tempo, and I must say that after a good deal of thought, I think that Dr. Matthews was absolutely correct in the tempo that he chose. It certainly did place a heavy burden on the orchestra, for the last movement of this symphony is very difficult. However, I’m not sure that any Beethoven symphony is easy – that was never a consideration of Beethoven’s. He simply wrote what had to be. This was a very exciting performance of a very popular symphony that simply refuses to grow old, and every time it is heard, something new arises.

I still think that the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra is the best community orchestra in our state. It is my sincere wish that they find a conductor with whom they will be happy and who is capable of bringing to fruition the potential that they display.

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Robin McNeil lives with his wife in Littleton where he teaches piano privately and continues to do research on the French composer Théodore Gouvy and the Medieval Mass. McNeil is an honorary member of the Institut Théodore Gouvy of Hombourg-Haut, France; president of the Piano Arts Association; and a member of the Henry Bradshaw Society (for the preservation and publication of rare liturgical documents).
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The concert on March 16 featured CU Boulder Emeritus Professor of Composition Luis Jorge González. In some ways, it was an unusual concert because three out of the four works performed were World Premier performances. In addition, the first work (and I will use the English translation for all the titles) which is titled “With Fervor for Buenos Aires” featured the poetry of Dr. González. This work is also a revision of a previous version written some years ago in 1985. The first version was a 12 tone piece and was premiered at the Golden Hall of the Colón Theatre in Buenos Aires.

For those of you who are unsure of the term “12 tone,” it is, very briefly, a taxonomy of music that uses all the notes (there are 12) of the chromatic scale, rather than the major or minor scale. And those 12 notes do not have to be written in consecutive order, but can be scattered over the range of the instrument. The 12 notes can also be divided into groups, as the composer wishes, and modified with inversion and retrograde. Because these notes are from the chromatic scale, there is no tonal center, or final note to arrive on as there is when music is based upon the major and minor scale. The progenitor of 12 tone technique was Arnold Schoenberg who thought that major and minor had been used up in the 400 years of its existence.

Dr. González made the decision a few years ago to abandon the 12 tone technique, and he now composes tonal music even though his harmonies are amazingly complex. At the top of the program notes, Dr. González also states that he uses “a wide range of stylizations of tango rhythms that support the internal structure of these works.” That may be an understatement because I have not heard such complex rhythms in a very long time. It is González’ way of combining the complex rhythms with the harmony – he seems to make them reliant upon each other – that drives his music forward, even at a slow tempo. The result is an unparalleled richness that is absolutely fascinating music to listen to, and it is also beautiful.

With Fervor for Buenos Aires is a three movement work (this new version was written between 2008 and 2010) for mezzo-soprano and piano. Tuesday night’s program featured Julie Simpson, mezzo, and Alejandro Cremaschi, piano. González has a knack of finding good performers for his concert, and why shouldn’t that be? He is an internationally known composer who writes fine music and he deserves excellent performers. Julie Simpson is on the faculty at CU and has performed in Europe and the United States. She is also well known as being a superior voice teacher. She has performed in operas, oratorios, and masses. Alejandro Cremaschi is a fine pianist, and I have commented on his artistry in past reviews. Suffice to say that he also truly belongs on the CU music faculty which is his present position. Keep in mind that González wrote poetry that he uses in this work. The first movement, entitled Nostalgia, is like many of his compositions because of its darkness. I quote from the text of this first work: “The roads, frozen, woke up/ In the demolished outrage of past and present/ Of water and shadows.” González rich harmonies emphasized the despair of these words. Julie Simpson managed to capture this spirit as well, and emphasized, by inflections of tone, this dark mood. However, I missed understanding some of the words – she was singing in Spanish – when her diction wasn’t quite what it should have been. I have heard her perform before, and I have never had such problem understanding her. The second song or movement in this work is entitled Evening in the Plaza. The first line of text begins “At the edge of the evening/ the streets go fast.” Indeed, this entire song had a certain furious pace about it, and put great demands on the pianist and vocalist. The last movement, entitled “From Afar” is quite obviously a reminiscence of living in Buenos Aires and ends with the line “My years as a traveler are a fiction, Buenos Aires is my past, my tomorrow, my always.” What an incredible lament.

The second work on the program entitled “Beyond departure,” was another world premiere performance. Of this work Dr. González says in the program notes, “Beyond Departure is an elegy for Juan Francisco González. The first movement is a sort of lament in lead form. The second is an imaginary dance remembering the fancy dancer Juan F. González was.” The notes do not tell how Juan F. González is related to the composer, but it must have been a close relationship. This work was scored for trombone and piano. My first thought was that trombone seemed to be an unusual instrument for an elegy, but the compositional skills of Luis González proved that it was quite appropriate. It was performed by William Stanley who is associate professor at the College of Music. He has previously taught at Temple University, Eastern Illinois University, and Milliken University. He has performed and recorded on historical brass instruments. The pianist on this work was Assistant Prof. Margaret MacDonald, who has a very active career performing nationally as a recital partner with many distinguished artists. This work is in two movements, the first of which is entitled Threnody, and second is entitled Ghost Dance. A threnody is a song of lamentation or a dirge. The first movement was divided into three sections, the middle of which was a waltz. The harmonies are what will remain in my mind. It was absolutely beautiful writing and everything about this threnody was powerful yet elegant. And as a matter of fact, the word elegant would be a good word to apply to almost everything González has written. Even when his writing is difficult for the performer, as was the case for the second movement of this work, Ghost Dance. Both the pianist and the trombonist have to stay on their toes, not only because their parts are technically difficult but because their entrances are difficult as well. It takes great patience to learn something so difficult, but these two musicians gave a superb performance.

After the intermission, came yet another World Premiere, and this one was for solo piano. It is a three movement suite entitled City Twilights – and yes, it is plural because it describes three different kinds of twilight. The first movement is entitled The Darkened Sky Falls Over; the second, The Light Fades in the Corners; and the third, The Eyes of the Shadows. The pianist was Alejandro Cremaschi. González has the unique ability to make long phrases out of disjointed rhythms and rhythms that can only be described as rhythmic motives. He also has a knack for starting a rhythmic idea, and this applies particularly to his piano compositions, in the left-hand and finishing the rhythmic idea in the right-hand. That makes it difficult for the pianist, and the only other composer that I can think of who did basically the same thing was Robert Schumann in the last movement of his Sonata in F minor. Of course, as I stated above, González has a knack for choosing remarkable performers, so Cremaschi didn’t seem to have any problem with this at all. In the first movement of this work, there was an absolutely beautiful melodic line in the left-hand, while the right-hand had a marvelous fiora. The third movement was a beautiful dark tango with very rich harmonies, and very pronounced question/answer phrases which I have never heard written or stated so clearly in a González composition.

The last composition on this program was González’ “Sonata elegíaca” for viola and piano, which was written between 2002 and 2004. In the program notes, González states, “It is a homage to dear members of the composer’s family. The framework of the piece is based on the classical sonata form in three movements.” The violist was Professor Erika Eckert, also a faculty member at CU. She has taught at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Baldwin Wallace College, both prestigious schools. She has also performed with the Tackacs String Quartet, and has performed in Europe as well as throughout the United States. Her collaborator for this sonata was Margaret MacDonald. I was immediately struck by the wonderful sound which Erika Eckert obtained from her instrument. It was full and rich and was wonderfully suited to the dark sound that seems to pervade all of González’ compositions. And when I emphasize ‘dark sounds’ I do not mean to imply that González’ compositions are a morass of melancholy. They are not. But, they do contain such incredibly thick textures that are so complex and so carefully thought out, that one does not readily associate them with a lighthearted style. Once again, the rhythms began in one instrument and were continued in the other. The second movement contained very slow jazz chords – ninth and thirteenth chords – which were very impassioned. The third movement was a wonderful tango in which both instruments showed the complex rhythm. It also required some very difficult double stops from the violist.

Once again, I found myself thinking that so many musicians and critics outside the state of Colorado seem to have great difficulty believing that our state has so much to offer to the arts. I also found myself wishing that this program had been performed in a truly prominent concert venue. And when I say truly prominent, I am not in any way maligning the University of Colorado. I wish that this has been done in Boettcher Hall, Lincoln Center, or Symphony Hall in Chicago. González’ music deserves that and so do the performers. This is a composer and these are performers that deserve everyone’s support.

Luis Jorge Gonzalez was born in San Juan, Argentina, in 1936. After study at the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina, in the early 1970s he enrolled in the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland, where he studied with Robert Hall Lewis and Earle Brown. Initially attracted to the musical avant garde, over the years he abandoned radical innovation and returned to tonality but with great imagination and individual perspective. He taught briefly at the Peabody Conservatory and in Austin, Texas, before coming to the College of Music of the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1982 as a professor of composition and music theory. He retired from that position in 2003, but still resides in the Boulder area where he composes and is active in civic and university musical affairs.

Gonzalez’ music has been widely performed throughout the United States, and in South America, Europe, and Japan. His musical awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship (1978-79) and compositional prizes from the Wieniawski International Competition, the City of Trieste, Radio France, the Percussive Arts Society, and the American Harp Society among others. Commissions from Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, the Colorado Music Festival, the American Guild of Organists, the Cosanti Foundation, the Austin Texas Music Festival, and many universities and performing ensembles fill a long and impressive professional resume.

Dr. Gonzalez has his Master of Music and Doctor in Musical Arts degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Baltimore.

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Robin McNeil lives with his wife in Littleton where he teaches piano privately and continues to do research on the French composer Théodore Gouvy and the Medieval Mass. McNeil is an honorary member of the Institut Théodore Gouvy of Hombourg-Haut, France; president of the Piano Arts Association; and a member of the Henry Bradshaw Society (for the preservation and publication of rare liturgical documents).
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Commissioned by Colorado Ballet specifically for this production, Eventually, choreographer Brian Reeder is clever and humorous, and while he has choreographed a variety of ballets, Reeder’s newest ballet follows en suite with Reeder’s persona. Described as a light-hearted and witty ballet, Eventually chronicles an elderly man making his way across the stage, through the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Throughout his journey, the gentleman is caught in the midst of four couples constantly moving around the stage exuding energy that juxtaposes the central character’s journey.

Brian Reeder was born in Sunbury, Pennsylvania and began his dance training with Marcia Dale Weary at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. After attending American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Program, he studied at the School of American Ballet. Before joining American Ballet Theatre (1994-2003), Mr. Reeder performed as a soloist with William Forsythe’s Ballet Frankfurt (1990 -1993) and also danced with New York City Ballet (1986 -1990). He is currently on staff at American Ballet Theater’s Summer Intensives in New York City and the Coordinating Director of the ABT International Summer Dance Intensive in Bermuda (2006 – 2008.) Mr. Reeder has been a guest teacher at the Alvin Ailey School, School at STEPS, Studio Maestro, Orange County High School of the Arts, Newark Arts High School and the Icelandic National Ballet Company and School.

Michael Gandolfi entered the Berklee College of Music before transferring to the New England Conservatory of Music after one year. He went on to receive both his Bachelors and Masters degrees from NEC, where he is now the chair of the composition department. In 1986 he was a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center; there he studied with Leonard Bernstein and Oliver Knussen. He has served on the faculty of Harvard University, Indiana University, and the Phillips Academy at Andover; since 1997 he has been the coordinator for the Tanglewood Music Center’s composition department. He has been championed by conductor Robert Spano as one of the “Atlanta School” of American composers, a group that also includes colleagues Osvaldo Golijov, Jennifer Higdon, and Christopher Theofanidis.

As this ballet opens, one can immediately see two things: an elderly man with a cane portrayed by Christopher Moulton, and on the other side of the stage is a mailbox. The elderly man’s wife, portrayed by Christina Schifano, hands him a letter to mail, and thus begins his journey from one side of the stage to the other; a journey which takes the length of the entire ballet. On this journey he is surrounded by the humdrum of everyday life, and his journey gives the audience a warm and humorous view of the comparison between the young and old and those who are fast and slow. Halfway across the stage, he becomes tired. He snaps his finger and a wonderful porch swing, its suspension cables covered with vines and flowers descends from the ceiling of the stage. He takes his seat and amuses himself by watching the hustle and bustle around him, and seems to be amazed at the thought that he was once as young as those he watches. The music has three sections; fast, slow, and fast. It is during the slow section that he is seated on the swing, and four couples take turns performing a pas de deux as he sits and watches them, eventually nodding off. The four couples were danced by Dana Benton, Andrew Skeels; Sharon Wehner, Adam Still; Caitlin Valentine, Sean Omandam; Shelby Dyer, Luis Valdes. And every one of these eight dancers exhibited a youthful exuberance and happy warmth in knowing that they were in their youth. And I must say, that it was extremely pleasurable watching eight young dancers who have very clearly worked very hard to perfect their art. I also could not escape the feeling of gratitude that Gil Boggs, the Artistic Director of the Colorado Ballet, has the creative imagination to commission Brian Reeder. I will not divulge how the ballet ends, but I promise you that it is a surprise, but yet charming.

After the first intermission, the Company performed for the first time in Denver, the ballet “Echoing of Trumpets.” This is a ballet choreographed by Anthony Tudor, with music by the Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu. The Colorado Ballet had the benefit of Mr. Donald Mahler who served as Repetiteur ( a “Repetiteur” is a coach for the dancers). Mr. Mahler has danced several leading roles in Antony Tudor’s ballets. In fact, he was trained at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School by Antony Tudor. Tudor himself, is one of the outstanding choreographers of the 20th century. Born in London, in 1908, he began dancing professionally with the Ballet Rambert where he created many of his early ballets. He choreographed and created the Echoing of Trumpets in 1963 for the Royal Swedish Ballet.

The composer, Bohuslav Martinu, was born in Bohemia, and eventually became a violinist with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. He began studying composition at the Prague Conservatory, but he became dissatisfied with the styles of music that he was being taught, and was eventually dismissed for being a “lazy student.” He traveled to Paris, but had to flee the German invasion of France, and he therefore immigrated to the United States. He was a prolific composer, and among his huge output are 14 ballet scores.

This ballet has to be one of the most moving and tragic performances I have ever seen from any ballet. It is set during the World War II Nazi occupation. This powerful ballet memorializes the Czechoslovakian village of Lidice, which was completely destroyed in 1942, by Nazi forces. Echoing of Trumpets explores man’s inhumanity as he grieves for lost lives in an upturned world. Tudor expertly evokes the emotional turmoil of the people of a war-ravaged land caused by occupying soldiers.

The story centers on a woman, danced by Maria Mosina, and her husband, danced by Viacheslav Buchkovskiy. The occupying troops torment and harass the residents of the village. There is a Young Girl danced by Sharon Wehner: a Tough Girl danced by Janelle Cooke. There are women of the village who are danced Shelby Dyer, Asuka Sasaki, and Evelyn Turner. The Army captain is danced by Alexei Tyukov. All of these dancers were certainly very affected by the roles that they were dancing. I can promise you that they didn’t “just” dance. Every single one of them is a superb actor, and I am absolutely convinced that every single one of them could portray any character you choose. They were able to project total fear and despair at their surroundings, knowing that at any moment their lives could come to an end. The women of the village danced often stooped over, with their arms in second position, and exuded a palpable air of being browbeaten and totally subjugated in every single respect. But it was Maria Mosina who gave a truly remarkable performance. She was chilling and entirely convincing as she portrays the devastation of watching her husband killed. She goes to her husband’s body and pulls him into a sitting position, hoping that if she does that, he will come back to life. It does not work. She then pulls on his arms, as if to try to move him away from the hell that has engulfed them, so that he will have a better place to come back to life. And that does not work either. Her character then becomes an empty and hollow shell. Maria Mosina is such a fine dancer and such a fine actor, that you can almost read her mind in this role. Everyone on stage reacted to her acting. And so did everyone in the audience.

I admire the Colorado Ballet for programming such a devastating work and presenting it in such an incredibly artistic manner. Gil Boggs and the Ballet Mistresses, Sandra Brown, and Lorita Travaglia are masterful at what they do, and so is Donald Mahler.

After the second intermission, the ballet company performed “Celts.” Celts is a wonderful, cheerful, and energetic ballet based on traditional Irish music. It was choreographed by Lila York who danced with the Paul Taylor Dance Company. She has choreographed ballets for companies all over the United States and Great Britain. I was astonished at the demands that she places on the dancers. There was constant and incredibly vigorous movement all the time without a let up, and let me assure you this was not any kind of a cheesy reprise of Riverdance. This is a wonderful and artistic ballet that exhibits far more than athleticism. Adam Still, Sayaka Karasugi, Janelle Cooke, Igor Vassine, Johnstuart Winchell, Sean Omandam, and Cara Cooper absolutely shone in this third ballet of the evening.

Every time I see the Colorado Ballet perform I think that I have seen them at their best, but each performance is always better than the last. They always surprise and they never disappoint. Under the leadership of Gil Boggs the Colorado Ballet is doing remarkable things. All of you who attend their performances should go backstage afterward and tell the dancers how well they have done. It lets them know they are appreciated and this is an organization that deserves and has earned everyone’s respect and support.

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Robin McNeil lives with his wife in Littleton where he teaches piano privately and continues to do research on the French composer Théodore Gouvy and the Medieval Mass. McNeil is an honorary member of the Institut Théodore Gouvy of Hombourg-Haut, France; president of the Piano Arts Association; and a member of the Henry Bradshaw Society (for the preservation and publication of rare liturgical documents).
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