Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Bahman Saless, Bonnie Draina, Boulder Chamber Orchestra, Cobus Du Toit, Exsultate jubilate, John Rutter, Liebeslieder Waltzes, Suite Antique, Vivaldi
Sunday night, December 20, the Boulder Chamber Orchestra presented a marvelous concert at the Broomfield Auditorium. This is a very good venue as the acoustics are well-nigh perfect, and I have never attended a concert in this auditorium where I could not hear every single note being played or sung. I would strongly suggest that you readers attend the February 27th concert by the Boulder Chamber Orchestra which also will be presented at this auditorium, as well as the first Congregational Church of Boulder. Both performances will start at 7:30 PM.
The Boulder Chamber Orchestra opened their program Sunday with the “Suite Antique For Strings, Flute, and Harpsichord,” by the well-known English composer, John Rutter. Rutter, who was born in 1945, has written many orchestral and instrumental pieces, but his output has consisted largely of choral works of all sizes. As a matter of fact, in 2007 he was awarded the distinguished Commander of the British Empire in recognition for his services to music. The soloist Sunday night was a young flutist, Cobus du Toit, from South Africa who is currently studying with Christina Jennings at CU Boulder while pursuing his Masters degree in flute. Rutter’s piece is quite difficult, and as its title suggests, is modeled after the Baroque suite, particularly those of J.S. Bach. It was written in 1979 at the invitation of the Cookham Festival and was performed at the Cookham Parish Church. Rutter has said that since a Bach Brandenburg Concerto was being performed on the same program, he decided to write a suite using the same combination of instruments and forms that Bach had used.
The Suite Antique is very difficult for the flutist because of its range and dynamic level, and therefore it requires a great deal of diaphragm support. Du Toit made the entire work look very easy. The opening Prelude (the movements are Prelude, Ostinato, Aria, Waltz, Chanson, and Rondeau) is very lyrical, and its connection to Bach is unmistakable. I would like to see the score at some point; it seemed that Rutter might have used an indication of con moto because the melody did move, but not at a hurried pace. Du Toit’s tone was rich and mellifluous and extremely satisfying to listen to. And of course, Bahman Saless’ conducting was truly excellent. He has a deceptively casual approach to his conducting, which belies his careful attention to detail, and great confidence in his ability to make the kind of music that he does. There is no question that everyone in the orchestra holds his conducting in very high regard, and I must say, that the Boulder Chamber Orchestra has never sounded better. And of course, when the conductor is working with a soloist with the ability of Du Toit, it makes his job much easier. It seems to me that in this difficult piece, especially in the extreme dynamic levels, the flutist would have to be very careful with embouchure changes on the top notes in order to reach them without overblowing. I say that because the higher range notes were so soft and yet so rich. And I know from my own accompanying experience with a flutist, that Du Toit has incredible diaphragm support. Some have said that the fourth movement of this work, which Rutter calls Waltz, is a jazz section. In the opening few measures it does sound as if there was some jazz influence, but the rhythm becomes almost that of an Irish jig. The last movement, Rondeau, is quick and hard driving, but Du Toit seems not to be troubled by that at all because he possesses the technique to make everything look so easy. I was watching him very closely to determine how he got such an incredible sound in the quiet parts without going flat, and he seemed to keep the flute absolutely level and even thrust out his lower jaw so that the pitch would not go flat. Maestro Saless seemed to enjoy working with such an accomplished soloist.
Next, came the “In turbato mare irato,” by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). This work carries the catalog number RV 627 (for those of you who are interested in a small discussion of the RV numbers for Vivaldi, please see my review of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra and Alex Komodore from November). This is an incredibly difficult motet which was performed Sunday night by Bonnie Draina, who is on the faculty at CU Boulder. This piece is so difficult that it really resembles a concerto in spite of the liturgical text. It has four metaphorical movements which in actuality resembles that of a concerto grosso. The first movement is Allegro-Andante Molto-Allegro (the fast-slow-fast of a concerto grosso), and the text reflects the souls torment of a shipwreck while the orchestra plays Vivaldi’s vivid depiction of a storm tossed sea. The second movement is a Recitative; the third movement is an Aria marked Larghetto; and the fourth movement, marked Allegro, is an Alleluia, which announces the soul’s salvation from the stormy sea.
This is a very dramatic composition, and there is no question that the Boulder Chamber Orchestra helped to make it so under the fine conducting of Maestro Saless. But to be entirely successful, one also needs a soprano soloist who has a very high sense of drama, and in this regard I found myself wishing that Ms. Draina was more so equipped. She is possessed of a very pleasant sounding voice, but her diction was quite often non-existent, and in the lower ranges her voice lost a great deal of volume. As I have said before, in undergraduate school, I spent four years accompanying in vocal studios, so I learned a little bit about vocal production. In short, it did seem to me that if Ms. Draina could relax her jaw a little bit, it would help her diction. However, this Vivaldi work is seldom performed, and overlooking the diction issue and a very slight bleat, it was a satisfying piece to hear.
After the intermission, Maestro Saless and the orchestra performed six of the Liebeslieder Waltzes by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897). All told, in Opus 52 there are 18 waltzes written to texts by George Friedrich Daumer. Originally scored for two pianos and vocal quartet, they were originally performed from the manuscript on October 6, 1869, with Clara Schumann and Hermann Levi playing the piano. Brahms had indicated that the texts are optional. The performance of these pieces by the Boulder Chamber Orchestra was absolutely scintillating, full of vivacity and grace.
The last work on the program was the famous “Exsultate, jubilate,” by Mozart. Though considered a motet by many, it could also be considered as a solo cantata because it has two arias, two recitative’s and an alleluia. But realize that these definitions change over time – the original motet was a vocal work based on a piece of chant with two or three voices composed above it. And indeed, “Exsultate, jubilate” is similar to a concerto form because the second movement entitled “Recitativo” resembles a cadenza. Bonnie Draina was once again the soloist. As I stated above she does have a very pleasing voice, but again, I had a great deal of difficulty understanding the words that she was singing, and at least for myself, I enjoy hearing the words that are sung. The orchestra was superb, and was conducted with great confidence and musicality by Bahman Saless.
For an encore, Ms. Draina and the orchestra performed The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) written in 1944 by Mel Tormé and Bob Wells. Ms. Draina seemed considerably more relaxed, and her diction improved. Taken altogether, this was a very enjoyable concert. The Boulder Chamber Orchestra is always exceptional, and the audience responded to this concert accordingly.
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Italian Symphony, Mendelssohn, Stirling Trent, Tom Jensen
Friday evening, December 18, the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra gave its Christmas concert at the KPOF Hall on Sherman Street in Denver. The program was comprised of Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, the Bach Concerto for Violin in E Major, performed by a fine young violinist, Stirling Trent, excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s beloved Nutcracker ballet, followed by Christmas favorites and a sing-along. Their next performance will be a chamber recital, also at the KPOF Hall, on January 23.
Friday evening’s performance was conducted by Thomas Jensen, who has considerable experience conducting ballet orchestras including the Colorado Ballet, the Nashville Ballet, and in Chicago where he was the Music Director of the Joffrey Ballet. He was also a guest conductor of the Denver Chamber Orchestra. He has considerable conducting experience in the state of Texas where he founded the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio, and was Music Director of the Mid-Texas Symphony.
This concert opened with the Mendelssohn Italian Symphony. This of course, is one of the favorite symphonies by Mendelssohn and very well known by anyone who is familiar with concert literature. It is one of those remarkable works that one never tires of hearing, and as everyone knows, it was inspired by Mendelssohn’s travels in Italy. The Mendelssohn symphonies almost resemble tone poems because they are so descriptive, though they are certainly based on the sonata allegro form with or without a slow introduction. It was during Mendelssohn’s travel to Scotland where he wrote his most descriptive piece, Fingal’s Cave, and of course his symphony entitled the Scottish Symphony. And there is one more interesting fact about Mendelssohn. Everyone is aware that his prodigal genius was equal to that of Mozart’s, because he was a virtuoso pianist, a virtuoso violinist, a virtuoso composer, and a virtuoso conductor. But did you know that he was an absolutely marvelous watercolor artist? He wanted to show his family, with whom he was very close, especially his sister, where his travels had taken him, so he drew and painted pictures of the places he had visited. There is an excellent photograph, albeit black and white, of his watercolor of the Amalfi Coast in Italy which he painted in May of 1831 during his tour of Italy. This photograph appears in a book (page 26) entitled The Early Romantic Era, edited by the illustrious musicologist, Alexander Ringer, who for many years taught at the University of Illinois. The book was published by Macmillan in 1990. On viewing this watercolor, one wonders why Mendelssohn did not become famous for his art as well as his art of music.
The opening of the symphony puts the woodwinds instantly on their mettle, because they provide the drive for the lyrical theme starting only a few beats later by the violins. The woodwind section of the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra has always been superior, and in this performance there was not a single disappointment. Unfortunately, all was not well with the violin section. And, I am not at all sure that the fault lies entirely with them. Maestro Jensen seems to lack communication with the orchestra, particularly in his ability to pull the best work out of the violin section. By its very nature, a community orchestra is made up of volunteers, and while they certainly want to do the best they possibly can, it is sometimes necessary to provide a little motivation. This symphony, Mendelssohn’s Fourth, is not an easy work, but it seemed as though Jensen may have even had some difficulty motivating the orchestra during rehearsals. I bring this up because it seemed to me that the orchestra did not respond to him in the same way that they did to Lawrence Golan, who was the last guest conductor. That performance, November 20, was absolutely electrifying. Sadly, this was not, even though the performance was acceptable. It was disappointing to hear, because this Orchestra has made such giant strides in the last two or three years, and it still remains the best community orchestra in the state. Sometimes, the violins were in tune, and sometimes they were not. Why couldn’t they play in tune all the time? Sometimes the difference can be the conductor. In this movement there was some really fine clarinet playing and the horns sounded terrific. In the second movement, it seemed like the orchestra was having difficulty following the pulse adequately provided by the string bass. It was, to my taste, a little on the slow side, but that should not have made any difference. The upper strings and woodwinds should have had slightly sharper attacks on every note in order to follow through with the rhythmic pulse, but Jensen seemed not to hear what Mendelssohn had so clearly written. In fact, the orchestra seemed to have a little difficulty in following his beat. All in all, the result was a slightly mushy sound. This also carried over into the third movement. And the fourth movement. Again, I do not wish to be too harsh in my judgment, but to put it simply, I have heard the Denver Phil do so very much better, and in the last few years their performances have been extremely consistent.
Following the Mendelssohn symphony, Stirling Trent performed the Bach Violin Concerto in E Major. Stirling Trent is a very fine violinist, a Juilliard graduate who studied with Itzhak Perlman, and a young man who seems well on his way to establishing a very fine reputation. He earned the artist certificate from Southern Methodist University and has played in all of the “right” master classes and competitions. He is currently working on his Doctorate of Musical Arts at the University of Southern California where he studies with Midori Goto. From the very opening note that he played, one could sense the warmth and cordiality with which he approached this piece. And I must say, that he has a remarkable violin, and that in addition, he has the ability to get one of the warmest sounds I have heard from a violin in some time. I also hasten to point out that the Denver Phil sounded much better in the Bach than they did the Mendelssohn, even though there was some discontinuity between Jensen and the orchestra in some of the agogics that were taken and asked for by Mr. Trent. In the second movement I definitely had the feeling that Trent was leading the orchestra, which is fine, because after all, he is the soloist. He displayed a keen sense of tempo, and with help from Jensen, all of the entrances were accurate and together. In the third movement, Trent’s playing was excellent, but I could not escape the feeling that Jensen was not capable of exciting the orchestra to the point where they played with the same energy that was exhibited by Trent. You must understand that this orchestra has improved so much in the last few years that I am criticizing on a higher level, and one which I think the orchestra is ready for.
Following the intermission, the DPO performed the Overture to The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. Included with the overture was the music from Scene 6 and Scene 8. Maestro Jensen invited two youngsters from the audience, a boy and a girl, to the podium where he gave them each a chopstick and had them conduct the overture. I am sure that they had a great time judging by the smiles on their faces as they returned to the audience. In the music from Scene 6 and Scene 8, the orchestra seemed more responsive to Jensen and indeed, his conducting was more authoritative.
The Denver Philharmonic then played two Christmas favorites, Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson, and White Christmas, by Irving Berlin. Sandwiched between these two Christmas favorites was the traditional Christmas sing-along. There was an absolutely packed house, and everyone seemed to enjoy the performance very much.
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Amanda Lucarini, Brian du Fresne, Bruce Doenecke, Hugo Distler, kim Lancaster, Shannon Pennell, Steven Sametz, Thomas Edward Morgan
Thursday night, December 17, it was my pleasure to attend another concert given by the Ars Nova Singers. The performance took place at the Bethany Lutheran Church on East Hampden just east of Colorado Boulevard. I mention the location for two reasons. The acoustics in this church are very good, and second, their next performance will be at the same church on February 13. They are also performing February 14th at St. John’s in Boulder. For those of you who have not heard the Ars Nova Singers, I urge you to go. I have written about them previously, and the more I hear them perform, I am convinced that the Ars Nova Singers is to Colorado choral groups what the Colorado Symphony Orchestra is to Colorado orchestras. Thanks to Thomas Edward Morgan and Jeffrey Kahane, both organizations are increasing their reach nationally and internationally, as well they should.
There was a good audience Thursday night, but the church was not full. There are many individuals who still believe that choir concerts, especially if the performance venue is a church, will be similar to a standard church choir, or that the choir will be made up of people who just like to sing. I can guarantee you that the members of the Ars Nova Singers do like to sing, but any similarity with other loosely formed – and by that I mean choirs comprised by individuals who just walk in and announce they’d like to join – ends there. I have said before that Thomas Edward Morgan is one of the best choral conductors in the country. He has carefully chosen a choir of very experienced singers (that alone is a wonderful skill to have), at least half of whom have degrees in vocal performance. The other half all have a long history of choral performance. They all know about vocal production. I have never seen any member of the Ars Nova straining to sing, thus producing visible signs of stress in the neck and face. I have also been amazed that everyone in the choir knows how to produce vowels and consonants. If you go to a concert of theirs, watch how they shape them with their mouths as they sing. This points to proper training in singing, and it also demonstrates that these are all professional singers.
Their first piece on the program was a motet by Hieronymus Praetorius. Praetorius is a well-known name in the music history of Germany. Hieronymus Pretorius was born in 1560 and died in 1629 and was a fairly prominent composer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque. He had a son, Jacob Praetorius, named after his organist grandfather, who also became a prominent organist. This part of the Praetorius family is not related to another famous Praetorius named Michael, who was a prominent organist and Canon of Music, or Kapellmeister. In this motet, Hieronymus Praetorius used a very well known Christmas carol, Resonet in Laudibus, on which to base his motet. Motet is a term which can be used to describe several styles of vocal compositions. However, in its purest form, the motet was often based on a piece of chant (or a well-known song) that had a liturgical text. The chant was used as a cantus firmus, and was sung in Latin. The composers added two or sometimes three voices above it, which were in the composer’s native language. So the motet was poly-textual and poly-lingual, as well as contrapuntal.
The performance of this opening motet was breathtaking. It is always a surprise to hear such a well disciplined group of singers whose entrances are absolutely flawless, as well as their dynamics. This was followed by works of Victoria, Jacob Handl, and another motet, this time by Heinrich Schütz. I would like to point out here that the Handl was conducted by Louis Warshawsky. This individual is a member of the choir, of course, but he represents the incredible depth this group has. He can conduct, he is a harpsichordist, and he has a remarkable voice. He is long-time member of the Ars Nova Singers.
The opening group of these four works is so very special because they highlighted the Ars Nova Singers’ ability to produce such a pure sound. For those of you who read this and have never attended a performance of the Ars Nova Singers, I urge you to attend, and I dare you to come away with any belief that choral performances are not satisfying and passionately expressive.
The second group of works on the program was comprised of a Romanian folk carol, and three works by composer David Mcintyre, John Tavener, and Arvo Pärt. Cynthia Vaughn was the soprano soloist in Magnificat by Arvo Pärt, and what a nice voice she has. All of the voices in this choir are so well-trained that they had absolutely no difficulty with the intonation of the major and minor seconds which Arvo Pärt uses in this work. All of these compositions were well done, but the one that stood out for me was the Ave Maria by David Mcintyre conducted by Bass Section Leader, Brian du Fresne, who is also an organist, as well as a conductor. It was for women’s voices alone and had some marvelous leaps which are accented by a sforzando on the second note of the leap. A sforzando is a sudden loudness that is only louder than the preceding note. It is not a tremendously loud accent. The leaps and the sforzandos were done with incredible accuracy and musicality.
Just before the intermission, the Ars Nova Singers performed a work entitled Los Pastores by Steven Sametz. Sametz is rapidly becoming a well-known composer, especially for choral works. He is currently the Ronald J. Ulrich Professor of Music at Lehigh University. This performance was the Colorado Premier of Los Pastores. This was a hauntingly beautiful work with Steve Mitchell, Cynthia Vaughn, and Brian du Fresne as soloists. It was commissioned for the Santa Fe Desert Chorale in 2002, and is the imaginative setting of traditional Chicano melodies from the American Southwest. It involves the shepherds of the Christmas story who go to see the Christmas miracle. It was at once mellifluous and graceful, and yet technically difficult.
After the intermission came Chorale Variations on Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming, by Hugo Distler. Leah Biesterfeld Creek was the mezzo-soprano soloist and Steve Kientz was the tenor soloist. They are members of the choir, and I point this out so that all of you will understand that this choir is so superior, that its members can serve as soloists. Creek and Kientz both have that vocal quality and quantity that makes them outstanding soloists. Again, Mr. Morgan is to be complimented on his ability to pick the voices for this choir. All of them are clear and never muffled by too much head voice. It is obvious that none of the voices in the Ars Nova Singers were chosen just to “fill out” the choir.
The final group of songs was Christmas carols. This group featured two soloists, Shannon Pennell, soprano, and Amanda Lucarini, mezzo, marvelous soloists from the choir. There was also an arrangement by Thomas Edward Morgan of the familiar Christmas carol, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. This arrangement was done using the latest in reproduction technology: the iPod. I hasten to point out that while there may have been some in the audience thinking that this is a novelty, many arrangers and composers are finding this quite useful, just as, back in the 1960s, composers at the University of Illinois, led by Lejaren Hiller, were using the big Iliac computer. And you must also understand that the iPod is probably a great deal more powerful than the Iliac computer was. Recently, on the east coast – and at the moment, I cannot remember where (my apologies) – a complete concert of serious music was performed by six musicians and six iPods. At any rate, Mr. Morgan sang this Christmas carol, and the iPod divided his voice into several parts so that it sounded as if he were singing with a full choir. A marvelous sextet was formed by Kim Lancaster, Shannon Pennell, Amanda Lucarini, Bruce Doenecke, Tom Morgan, and Brian du Fresne, which sang The Twelve Days of Christmas and I’ll Be Home For Christmas. This was followed by a carol by Daniel Pinkham entitled Christmas Eve, and a delightful parody carol entitled A Boulder Wassail.
It is my sincere hope that the members of the audience realized the incredible amount of work and practice that went into this performance. So many individuals base choir concerts on their own experience with being in a church choir, and as I stated above, the Ars Nova Singers is far removed from the standard church choir. I bring this up only because choir concerts are still facing a kind of prejudice attached to them that, I think, may be attached to organ concerts. The general public at large seems to believe that organs can only be used for church music and that choirs fall into the same category. The Ars Nova Singers is one of the finest concert choirs in the United States, and Thursday night they gave the audience a joyful and uplifting Christmas concert. Let us all attend their concerts so that we may pay them back for sharing their riches.
I am now in possession of the 10th studio recording by the remarkable Ars Nova Singers entitled Yuletide. It is a CD of songs for one’s traditional music enjoyment at Christmas time. I must admit from the outset that I was truly surprised by the first performance that I have ever heard by the Ars Nova singers, and that was on October 9. There is probably no excuse for that, except that my teaching schedule keeps me from going to many concerts that I would really like to attend. But I was very surprised because of the quality of the performance. If you need more information, please read my blog review concerning that particular performance. The conductor of this outstanding ensemble is Thomas Edward Morgan, who has to be one of the finest choral conductors in the United States.
In spite of my reaction to the October 9 performance, I was not sure what to expect from this CD. One of the reasons is that most Christmas CDs really amount to seasonal background music. I must say, though I have never been good with background music, and that includes listening to a Mozart symphony or a Prokofiev Symphony while I am grading papers, or just doing daily tasks. In this instance, I really should have known better. This new recording by the Ars Nova Singers is far from being background music, mood music, or a seasonal CD that can be casually played. It is another outstanding example of this supremely artistic group of singers, who I am sure will eventually be situated in the mainstream of American performing ensembles. This is a collection of some traditional Christmas carols, some of which have been arranged by the Ars Nova conductor, Thomas Edward Morgan, some by contemporary composers, such as Luis Jorge González (who is a Colorado composer), John Tavener, and Peter Warlock.
There is absolutely no way in the space I have for this blog that I can give due credit for every single performance that is on this CD. But there are some incredible standouts. The very first selection on the CD is Christmas Time Is Here, written by the American jazz pianist Vincent Guaraldi. Guaraldi (1928-1976) is best known for the music he wrote for the Peanuts comic strip. Christmas Time Is Here was also arranged by the Ars Nova conductor, Thomas Edward Morgan. It includes a remarkable oboe accompaniment, performed on this CD by James Brody. This is a remarkable arrangement and a remarkable piece of music that seems to use mostly ninth and thirteenth chords. My next favorite piece is number five on the CD, and is a Christmas carol entitled The Little Road to Bethlehem written by the English composer Michael Head who passed away quite suddenly in 1976. This work features Evanne Browne as soprano soloist, and is unusual in that it seems to have a cantus firmus. I would really like to see a copy of the score. I assure you that this is a gorgeous piece of music.
The next work on this CD that I was absolutely smitten with, is a piece called The Lamb, by the English minimalist composer John Tavener. And this piece is unusual as well, because there are parts of it that resemble 12th-century organum, but of course, the intervals are not at all similar to that period of music. The next piece on the CD that I really admire very much was Vengan ad Pastores by Luis Jorge Gonzalez, whose choral works are simply not heard often enough. This was a beautiful piece with very imaginative harmonies, which was surprisingly interrupted occasionally by parallel octaves, to great effect. It also gave the base section an opportunity to demonstrate their incredible range.
The only surprises on this CD was that the fourth selection, In a Field as I Lay, and the final piece on the CD, A Boulder Wassail, had moments where it was difficult to hear the words. I must point out that that is highly unusual for the Ars Nova Singers. But I must say, this is a wonderful CD that must be seriously listened to the moment you play it. There is absolutely no way that it can be used as Christmas background music. The Ars Nova Singers are so outstanding, their dynamic range and vocal range, particularly the bass section, is so superior, and their soloists so carefully chosen, that this CD absolutely must be at the top of the list of Christmas music to be purchased.
Filed under: Commentary | Tags: de Larrocha, Foss, Hale Smith, Kirchner, Klebe, Kunzel, Landon, Meale, Nixon
I often try to listen to the BBC news program on the radio, and sometimes when I have the opportunity, I’ll watch BBC news on the computer. The reason is simple. BBC News gives more than the thirty second “in-depth” reports than newspapers and most TV networks do in this country. Sometimes it’s nice to hear a news story that is more than thirty seconds. However, sometimes even BBC can commit what I consider to be a gross error. On December 24 of this year, one of their video news stories was entitled “2009: The Year Michael Jackson Died.” That is true enough, but at least they had the forethought to not label this as the most important news story of 2009. But there were many musicians who died in 2009 whose contributions will far outlast those of Michael Jackson’s. Therefore, I submit a list of musicians whose loss will be considerably greater and more profoundly felt, and whose accomplishments are far more noteworthy, yet I saw nothing about them in any newspaper, nor did I hear about them on any news broadcast. All of them were artists, and none were mere entertainers. Publicity and popularity alone have never determined great art.
They are:
Lukas Foss, composer, February 1, 2009
Eric Kunzel, conductor, September 1, 2009
Leon Kirchner, composer, September 17, 2009
Alicia de Larrocha, pianist, September 25, 2009
Giselher Klebe, composer, October 5, 2009
Roger Nixon, composer, October 13, 2009
H.C. Robbins Landon, musicologist, November 20, 2009
Richard Meale, composer, November 23, 2009
Hale Smith, composer, November 24, 2009
They led us on real voyages of discovery, sometimes because they gave us new landscapes, but always because they gave us new eyes.
May they rest in peace.