#Breckenridge, Colorado.
On Friday, June 27, the National Repertory Orchestra and music director Carl Topilow will present “A Spanish Evening” concert at the Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge. The event is the orchestra’s Pink Concert in support of Shaw Breast Center and Cancer Clinic in Frisco. Grammy-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux and mezzo-soprano Lindsey Falduto are featured guest soloists.
The Spanish-flavored program kicks off with a performance of Aaron Copland’s “El Salon Mexico.” This 1936 piece was the first popular hit of a composer who would go on to be one of the most prominent figures in the emerging American classical music scene of the 20th century. In it, Copland takes several melodies from Mexican folk music and blends them into an orchestral piece evocative of a lively Mexican dancehall. The addition of the gourd to the percussion section adds to the music’s authentic sound.
The next piece of the evening, Arturo Marquez’s “Danzon No. 2,” demonstrates the way in which traditional Mexican music continues to shape the classical repertoire. The composer’s 1994 piece is built around the rhythm and accent of the danzon, a dance popular in Cuba and in the Veracruz region of Mexico.
“This melodic and lively piece features solos across the orchestra and is one of the most frequently performed contemporary classical Mexican compositions,” said Doug Adams, CEO of the NRO.
Grammy-winning classical guitar virtuoso Vieaux joins the NRO’s musicians for a performance of Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez.” The 1939 work, perhaps the most iconic piece in the classical guitar repertoire, complements the instrument’s soft touch and unique musical textures with sweeping accompaniment by the orchestra.
The beautiful second movement, Adagio, may be familiar to jazz listeners: Miles Davis adapted it into the centerpiece of his ground-breaking album “Sketches of Spain,” and Chick Correa used the melody in his jazz standard “Spain.” Its melodies are exemplary of the musical Phrygian mode, an alteration of the typical major scale that creates the expressive and colorful effects characteristic of Spanish music.
Vieaux has performed as a soloist with nearly 100 orchestras worldwide. His most recent solo album, “Play,” won the 2015 Grammy for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. NPR describes him as “perhaps the most precise and soulful classical guitarist of his generation,” and Gramophone magazine places him “among the elite of today’s classical guitarists.”
The program concludes with another talented guest artist, mezzo-soprano Falduto, singing music from Manuel de Falla’s “Three-Cornered Hat.” The Spanish composer’s 1919 ballet was a great success on the dance stage, and its music has proved just as popular in the concert hall. The composer draws from Andalusian folk themes to give the dance-centric music a distinctively Spanish sound.
Falduto has experience in both musical theater and operatic roles. She has won several awards for her acting talents, and The Denver Post described her as having “the honeyed voice of a chanteuse.”
The Shaw Regional Cancer Center is the beneficiary of the National Repertory Orchestra’s Pink Concert. The Shaw Breast Center & Cancer Clinic, located at 323 W. Main St. in Frisco, offers 3D mammography, along with top physicians and experts who are available for treatments and consultations in a brand new, private setting. The American Cancer Society recommends women start annual mammography at age 40. To schedule a mammogram, call (970) 668-6400.
Sam Kuller and Downstairs at Eric’s are also sponsoring the concert. For tickets and more information, call (970) 547-3100, or visit www.nromusic.com
Benjamin Paul is the marketing and public relations intern for the National Repertory Orchestra.
Courtesy of the Summit Daily News.
