[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n
But the conductor is planning more than just live music played before a live audience. When the Colorado Music Festival presents a four-concert series at Chautauqua Auditorium billed as \u201cMusic of Today,\u201d Oundjian will host a whole new way to experience new works.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Take, for example, the opening piece on the July 23 Kaleidoscope Concert: Nebojsa Zivkovic’s <\/span>Trio per Uno.<\/span><\/i> \u201cIt really needs to be seen from above,\u201d the conductor insists. Which is how it can be viewed.<\/span><\/p>\n Overhead cameras and three projection screens offer a novel way to experience the piece by Zivkovic, who describes the three-movement trio on his website this way (and forgive the Serbian composer’s English and spelling): \u201cTake 3 man. Give them 3 drums, one base-drum for all, let them scream and beat a hell out of it!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Ji Su Jung” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(0,0,0,0)” border_color_all=”RGBA(0,0,0,0)” border_style_all=”none”] Ji Su Jung will perform on Marimba in Kaleidoscope: Muhly, Tower, and Bolcom on July 23<\/p><\/div>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n That’s just the start, Oundjian notes, next pointing to the unusual stage set-up. \u201cThe percussion will be placed on the left side and the piano will be in the middle (with Boulder native Christopher Taylor at the keyboard). The marimba will be over at the right.\u201d There, Ji Su Jung will play music by Peter Klatzow and Keith Jarrett. No onstage talk, says the conductor. \u201cThe music will be seamless, moving from one piece to the other \u2013 like a TV show.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The conductor believes that the visual enhancements at the Kaleidoscope program will draw folks in. \u201cIt intensifies the experience,\u201d he says. \u201c As a musician, the more you’re in touch (with an audience), the closer they will get to the music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Hannah Lash” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”] Hannah Lash, Composer<\/p><\/div>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n Oundjian stresses that he’s in step with the changing world of live concerts. \u201cI believe there’s a revolution taking place. In the past, people only wanted to hear music that is tonal. The elitist attitude was ‘If it’s great, it’s not for all \u2013 and if it’s not for all, then it’s great.’ But audiences in communities like Boulder are more open to unfamiliar things.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Naturally, none of these innovations suddenly appeared at the music director’s whim. A lot of discussion went into the Music of Today series, starting with selling the idea to the CMF administration. That was the easy part, the conductor reports. \u201cThe [administration] wants to be bold. They’re very keen on these commissions.\u201d Notice the plural in that last word: This season, there will be <\/span>three <\/span><\/i>commissioned premieres.<\/span><\/p>\n On July 22, the second event in Music of Today, Oundjian will lead the Festival Orchestra in the commissioned premiere of <\/span>Forestallings<\/span><\/i>, a work by Yale-based composer Hannah Lash, inspired by Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2. Appropriately, that concert will end with Oundjian’s orchestral arrangement of Beethoven’s String Quartet, Opus 131. Also on the agenda is Kevin Puts’ Marimba Concerto, with Ji Su Jung.<\/span><\/p>\n The second commission concludes a full evening of music by the renowned American composer Joan Tower. \u201cI’ve assembled programs devoted to one living composer before,\u201d Oundjian observes. \u201cI thought, ‘Why the hell not?’ The way I see the concept of an evening featuring someone like Joan, psychologically you think, ‘Hey, that must be good.’ \u201d On July 25, cellist Alisa Weilerstein will be soloist in the premiere of Tower’s Cello Concerto. Oundjian will lead the fifth of the composer’s popular <\/span>Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman<\/span><\/i> series, along with <\/span>Duets <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>Made in America<\/span><\/i>. The latter features Tower’s exploration of <\/span>America the Beautiful.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Joel Thompson” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(0,0,0,0)” border_color_all=”RGBA(0,0,0,0)” border_style_all=”none”] Joel Thompson, Composer<\/p><\/div>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n The conductor had witnessed the public’s growing acceptance of the new during his long tenure as music director of the Toronto Symphony. \u201cOn our New Creations Festival, we had three or four composers present. And we had big audiences.\u201d At Chautauqua, Oundjian will host onstage interviews with guest composers, including Tower and Joel Thompson, who has written the Festival\u2019s third commissioned premiere, unveiled on August 5.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The response to Music of Today has been encouraging. \u201cTicket sales are strong,\u201d the conductor reports, adding with a chuckle, \u201cThey’d better be \u2013 it costs us $25,000 to put up those (video) screens.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In addition to the draw of new works, the appearances by such admired soloists as Augustin Hadelich and Olga Kern are attracting concert-goers. And audiences are especially hungry for in-person performances after last year’s Festival was canceled by the pandemic. Which brings us to this season’s opening work.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe’ll start with the <\/span>Elegy<\/span><\/i> by Aaron Kernis,\u201d Oundjian says of this somber offering. \u201cIt will be dedicated to those we lost (due to Covid-19). I want the strings to make their entrance as a walk-on. I think that’s appropriate. It’s a way for the audience to welcome the return of live music.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_cta admin_label=”Outro” _builder_version=”4.9.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_level=”h4″ header_font_size=”14px” header_line_height=”1.1em” background_color=”#F58F38″]<\/p>\n Music of Today<\/a> consists of four concerts. July 20: The St. Lawrence String Quartet<\/a> plays music by Haydn, John Adams and Debussy. July 22: Oundjian conducts works by Hannah Lash, Kevin Puts, and Beethoven<\/a>. The July 23 Kaleidoscope Concert<\/a> features music by Nebojsa Zivkovic, Nico Muhly, Peter Klatzow, Derek Bermel, Keith Jarrett, Leigh Howard Stevens, and William Bolcom. On July 25 Oundjian leads an all-Joan Tower program<\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_cta][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Colorado Music Festival Musical Director Peter Oundjian discusses daring new takes on classical music for the Summer 2021 Music of Today series.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":270410,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[382],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-270357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/78"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"photo](\"https:\/\/coloradomusicfestival.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/image005.jpg\")
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