Home  Entertainment Reviews Review: NMSO (Feb. 16)
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Written by D.S. Crafts
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Saturday, 16 February 2008 |
Certainly it was no ordinary night at the symphony. Remembering that America
consists of two continents, the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra program Friday
night was almost exclusively American, featuring the Brazilian Ney Rosario's
Concerto for Marimba, and the Powwow Symphony: A Gathering of Nations by Brent
Michael Davids.
Only the Don Juan symphonic poem by Strauss gave voice to the European
tradition. No light concert overture to open the evening, this is as difficult
a piece for strings as there is to be found in the repertoire. Oscillating from
swashbuckling panache to luxurious sensuality, the entire orchestra played
brilliantly, notably oboe, clarinet and French horns. The NMSO is made up of highly-talented individual musicians, and I, for one, am
always pleased to see one of the orchestra's own step forward as guest soloist.
Friday night it was percussionist Jeff Cornelius. The marimba concerto
literature is not exactly voluminous, but Rosario's work is considered the
most popular of the genre. The exotic sound of this mellow percussion
instrument creates an often other-worldly effect. Armed with multiple mallets
in each hand, Cornelius displayed a variety of virtuoso techniques, from the
undulating of the Lamento, to the sway of the scherzo-like Danca, culminating
in the rapid rhythms and solo cadenza of the dramatic Despedida (Farewell) with
Brazilian motifs and jazz elements appearing throughout. A tour de force
performance which understandably brought the crowd to its appreciative feet. Brent Michael Davids's Powwow Symphony is as much a work of theater. It brings
to the concert stage a simulation of an ancient tribal tradition presented with
humor and good spirits. The program notes read, ". . . the word derives from the
Narragansett word Powwaw meaning 'spiritual leader' and describes any gathering
of Native Americans of any tribe." The composer himself was onstage to play the crystal flute. M. Cochise
Anderson acted as Master of Ceremonies providing introductions, jokes,
home-spun philosophy and even public service announcements. The music is
continuous, sometimes background, sometimes foreground with opulent scoring
such as in the "Sunset" section, but always clearly based in native folk music.
For me the most intriguing parts involved Roger Melone's excellent NMSO Chorus
singing in traditional chant, and ultimately working to an intensity of fevered
pitch. No one will forget the dancers garbed in the most majestic and colorful
ceremonial dress who danced their way through the aisles several times during
the evening. Even the musicians were made part of the comedy, but that you'll
have to see for yourself. WHAT: New Mexico Symphony Orchestra presents The Powwow Symphony WHEN: 2 p.m. today (Feb. 17) WHERE: Popejoy Hall HOW MUCH: $18- $57 at the NHCC box office or Ticketmaster outlets
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About Reviewers D.S. Crafts (Website) Composer Daniel Steven Crafts came to New Mexico from San Francisco where he had hosted a classical music radio program on KPFA. His first commission from opera star Jerry Hadley, "The Song & the Slogan" based on texts by Carl Sandburg, was made into a TV program for the PBS network and aired nationally in 2004 and won an Emmy for Best Music. His latest opera La Llorona is a collaboration with novelist Rudolfo Anaya based on his play "The Season of La Llorona." Mr. Crafts is currently working on another commission from Jerry Hadley for a piece about the American Southwest which includes texts by Rudolfo Anaya and V.B. Price. Two CDs of his music, Contemporaries (short, satirical keyboard works) and ARIAS (excerpts from his various operas) have been released on the BACAT label in San Francisco.
David Steinberg David Steinberg has covered state government, the courts, city and county government in Santa Fe for the Albuquerque Journal. He's been an arts writer for the past 20 years, and serves as the book editor, for the Journal. Over the years, he's also acted in plays, sung in choruses and played trumpet.
Jennifer Noyer Jennifer Noyer has been writing dance reviews for the Albuquerque Journal for 17 years, as well as contributing articles for Dance Magazine and other art journals. She trained in dance with Hanya Holm in New York City and Colorado Springs, and studied several dance techniques at the graduate level at the University of Michigan. After teaching dance at Wayne State University she entered and completed a Masters Degree in Humanities there. In New Mexico Ms. Noyer has taught, directed, and choreographed contemporary dance for several years. Her writing on dance includes a monograph accompanying the video of choreographer Bill Evens’ ballet “The Legacy.” An overview of Evans’s world wide career, it was written and published during his tenure at the University of New Mexico. Ms. Noyer’s studies in the humanities, and her studio dance work influence her approach to dance as an integrative art form in the United States.
Barry Gaines Barry Gaines has taught Shakespeare in the University of New Mexico English Department for over twenty-five years and has received two outstanding teaching awards. He has written theater reviews for the Journal since 2000. He has attended theater all over the world including Shakespeare productions in Russia, South Africa, Denmark, and Poland. He has also served as literary advisor for two professional theater companies and written performance reviews for Shakespeare Quarterly. Gaines has taken two years of acting with Paul Ford and appeared in small parts in three plays at the Albuquerque Little Theater. He believes that he is probably a better reviewer than actor.
Joanne Sheehy Hoover Joanne Sheehy Hoover, music critic emeritus of the Albuquerque Journal, has written for NPR, PBS, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Symphony, among others. She has also been a music lecturer for the Smithsonian Associates and a music critic and arts writer for The Washington Post. She was director of the Levine School of Music, one of the country’s largest community music schools, in Washington, D. C. 1980-1993. She and her husband moved to Corrales, New Mexico in July 1993. Also a poet, her fifth collection, “Einstein in New Mexico,” was published in 2002.
Marissa Greenberg Marissa Greenberg is a member of the faculty of the University of New Mexico English Department, where she teaches Shakespeare and early English literature. A prior guest reviewer for the Albuquerque Journal, Greenberg will be reviewing theater while Barry Gaines is out of town. She also composed and edited the program notes for last year’s Albuquerque Shakespeare Festival and has written performance reviews for Shakespeare Bulletin. A graduate of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, Greenberg has been performing and studying drama for most of her life. She is thrilled to have this opportunity to review for the Journal.
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