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"La Perte de Terre" (The Loss of the Earth) by Maria Newman. Performed June 14, 2012 by the Sound Encounters Orchestra in Ottawa, KS (ages 9-17). The first two movements (3:25 and 14:12) are especially compelling parts of this profoundly moving and evocative work by the Pulitzer-Prize nominated Maria Newman. Do read her discussion about the work's source - the Omaha Native American tradition - and her compositional process in this interview excerpt.
The first movement suggested to me so strongly the musings at dawn of a member of the Omaha Nation savoring life in the past and then fearing for life in the future. We hear sweetness, bitterness, rage, and also the pre-wakening peace of early morning...and evening, as present and future fade into the eternal Now. |
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A performance by the Leighton Weeds Honors Orchestra in Rapid City, SD on February 10, 2012. The orchestra name honors the Yankton, SD music educator that gave so much to several generations of young string players. What fiery spirit and sound this small group of select high school students from all over South Dakota generated in Shostakovich's Prelude and Scherzo, Op. 11 after only two days of rehearsal. The high level of their playing is thanks to their expert and dedicated music teachers, and I want to acknowledge their abundant expertise. Thanks! (music starts at 2:28) |
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