St. Louis: Symphony Chaco

Symphony Chaco, UMSL, St. Louis, Missouri. April 2018.

The University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL) hosted the premiere of an original symphony: Symphony Chaco, composed by Gary Gackstatter.

Symphony Chaco, UMSL, St. Louis, Missouri. April 2018.

One hundred choir members (led by Jim Henry) + 100 orchestra members + Native flutist, R. Carlos Nakai + iconic road-trip memoirist, William Least Heat Moon +  writer,  Debora Taffa.

Symphony Chaco, UMSL, St. Louis, Missouri. April 2018.

When you've got 200 living creatures doing something together, in sync, then you've got power in the air.

In addition to instruments, singing voices, and narrative voices, a slide show in a giant overhead screen opened a virtual window onto Chaco Canyon and, at times, animated paint images, which  synchronized with the auditory performance.

The symphony fit well into my limited attention span for such things, which was an added bonus to my experience of it. It lasted about an hour. 

I've been very close several times to going to Chaco Canyon, but it's not worked out so far. Maybe in the future. When I think of Chaco Canyon, I think of a place not far from there, Bisti Wilderness. Which I visited once, but hanker to again, and stay awhile.

Bisti Wilderness, Navajo Nation, New Mexico. May 2013.

The symphony began with Creation and ended with the leaving of Chaco Canyon by its inhabitants, climaxed by the shattering of pottery:

"Breaking pottery is an act of purification and offering, a prayer of release to the afterlife." 

Program note from Symphony Chaco: A Journey of the Spirit

This took me back to two final days in my rooted home: 

Just Stuff. I got a little teary-eyed re-reading this just now.

Mazel Tov! A reader took me to task for what I did. I have no spiritual regret for my action. It felt fitting. I do confess to a bit of a cringe at the materialistic loss.

With last night's Symphony Chaco, it seems I was just carrying on an ancient tradition.           

El Paso: Mozart Requiem

Mozart Requiem, El Paso, Texas. April 2017.

The union of many voices or instruments to create a collaboration of sound is always so uplifting.

The El Paso Chorale and the El Paso Orchestra, showcasing four singers, performed Mozart Requiem in April on the Saturday before Palm Sunday.

Below is an excerpt, highlighting soprano Heather Dials, who begins singing at approximately 2:12:

El Paso has an impressive classical-music presence. There is, of course, the long-running, annual Chopin Festival. El Paso Pro-Musica promotes chamber music. UTEP has a music program with breadth and depth.

Mozart Requiem, El Paso, Texas. April 2017.

I had a superb seat at the Mozart performance.

Another excerpt below:

El Paso: Chopin Piano Festival

Eric Zuber, 2016 El Paso Chopin Piano Festival

September and October 2016

I attended all three of the Chopin performances. OK, full disclosure: I left during intermission at the final performance.

Alright, let's just get to the truth of things for me.


Alex Beyer performs Chopin's Scherzo No 2, Op 31, in 2014:

I feel only tepid about Chopin. Yes, there were moments here and there when I sat up straighter in my seat, leaned forward, and felt almost grabbed, but the feeling of almost was as far as it went, and I slumped back into the dutiful attempt of reaching a better appreciation of a composer I should probably like more.



 Eric Zuber performs Chopin's Etudes, Op 10, in 2012:

With that bit of awkardness out of the way, let me share all that I liked about the festival.

• Free! Holy smokes, such a great exposure to classical music that is available to all of us, regardless of means. 
• The venue - Chamizal National Memorial - a beautiful place that honors El Paso's intercultural history and arts. 

Chamizal Memorial, El Paso, Texas

• The tidbits about Chopin's life and the backstory of various pieces. The grande dame of the festival, Lucy Scarbrough, was the most generous with details about Chopin's life. Alex Beyer, the youngest of the three pianists, shared the most interesting backstories about the works he performed. 
• The pre-concert quartet, which played in the lobby at all three of the performances, offered a lovely, lovely aperitif for us line-standers to enjoy until the theater doors opened.   

Listen to the quartet here, with a little dancing lagniappe from "Mr. Chopin" and a partner:

• Ms. Scarbrough invited anyone in the audience to come along with her and her party to dinner at an El Paso restaurant after the concert - that impressed the hell out of me. 
• Mr. Zuber and Mr. Beyer each received a kick-ass cowboy hat as an El Paso thanks for participating in the festival.

Quartet that played before each Chopin performance, 2016 El Paso Chopin Piano Festival

Lucy Scarbrough performs Chopin's Prelude Op 20 in 2016: