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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Kansas City Symphony
Benedetti Plays Tavener
Friday, March 27 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 28 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 p.m.
Lyric Theatre
10th and Central, Downtown Kansas City, MO

In the concerts of March 27-29, the Symphony will perform the familiar Schumann Symphony No. 2, a piece which was long neglected but which in recent years has become recognized as the masterpiece of his four symphonies. It's a gorgeous work, filled with references to his revered predecessors Bach and Beethoven, and maintains a sprightly and upbeat vigor despite the fact that the composer was seriously ill at the time he wrote it.

To this author's taste, though, the Schumann is just the obligatory nod to classicism found in this concert, for two far more unusual pieces grace the rest of the program, American composer Charles Griffes' The Pleasure Dome of Kublai Khan and British composer John Tavener's Violin Concerto, receiving its United States premiere at this concert.

Charles Griffes was one of a group of American composers who came to the fore in the late 19th and early 20th century (he lived from 1884-1920), all of whom were trying to find their "American" voice to distinguish themselves from their more famous European compatriots. Like many young American compositional students of the day, Griffes studied in Europe, and absorbed influences from a variety of sources, including Debussy and Ravel among the French and Scriabin and Mussorgsky among the Russians. He had a flair for the exotic, however, and tried to pursue this in his music.

The Pleasure Dome of Kublai Khan, premiered in 1919, was based on a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who in turn was inspired by the lifestyle of the celebrated Kublai Khan, grandson of the notorious Genghis Khan, who was the emperor of China from 1260 to 1294 and ruled a territory far  vaster than any European monarch.  Most famously for Europeans, he was visited at court by the Italian adventurer Marco Polo, who wrote of the great Khan and his court in his entertaining travel books which were disbelieved by Europeans for centuries but which are now known to be largely true.

The great Khan did in fact maintain a "pleasure dome," supposedly hidden away in the enchanted wilderness, which is mentioned in the Marco Polo writings. It inspired Coleridge, and then Griffes, who found in the story an outlet for his exotic flair. Shimmering and melodious, the music reflects the influence of the Impressionists, with its mystical hues.  It isn't all soft and airy, though; the motif of the savage wilderness is expressed by momentary bursts from the brass, after which the piece fades to a quiescent close.

John Tavener is an equally fascinating composer. Born in 1944 in Wembley, he found his calling primarily in sacred music because of an intensely religious nature. In 1977 he joined the Russian Orthodox Church and became much influenced by Orthodox theology and Orthodox liturgical traditions. He was particularly drawn to its mysticism, and studied and set to music the writings of church fathers such as St John Chrysostom. His most often performed pieces include his short unaccompanied four-part choral setting of William Blake's The Lamb (1982) and a grand choral piece, The Akathist of Thanksgiving (1987), written in celebration of the millennium of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Tavener's work is tonal in nature and is often compared with the works of the famous Estonian composer Arvo Part.

His recent Violin Concerto, subtitled "Lalishri," was written for the young Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti (okay, her name doesn't sound Scottish but that's what the publicity says) and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It is based upon Hindu themes, apparently reflecting reports that Tavener's religious interests have broadened in recent years.

According to writings by the 14th-century Hindu saint, Lalla Yogishwari, the poet discovered the atma or the true self within, realizing that it was God inside her, and was so enchanted that she danced naked through Kashmir. To downplay the prurient interests here, the idea was that "spiritual nakedness manifests itself in bodily nakedness."  Lest you think that the Symphony has carried itself a bit too far, please rest assured that Miss Benedetti, who will play the piece herself here in Kansas City, will perform fully clothed.

According to Chester Novello, the publisher of this music, Tavener says that "[Yogishwari's] poetry with its combination of intensity and simplicity made me think of the 'innocent intensity' of Nicola Benedetti's playing."   

This program has an admirably wide range of music and performance styles, and this writer, for one, is looking forward to it as one of the highlights of the Symphony season.

For tickets call 816-471-0400 or online at www.kcsymphony.org

Kansas City Symphony
Music of World War I
Saturday, March 28 at 1:00 p.m.
World War I Museum
100 West 26th Street, Kansas City, MO

In addition to its classical series this weekend, the Symphony offers a free concert on Saturday afternoon in the J. C. Nichols Auditorium at the beautiful World War I Museum, featuring music of the World War I era.  Music of Poulenc, Prokofiev, Hindemith and Ravel headline the program, which will be performed by selected musicians from the Symphony.  The local band should be congratulated for these free public concerts, which offer a great opportunity for members of the public to hear the Symphony's talented musicians at no charge.

For free tickets call 816-471-0400 or online at www.kcsymphony.org

Kansas City Wind Symphony
Nights of Wonder and Magic
Friday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 at 7:00 p.m.
Village Presbyterian Church
6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, Kansas

The Kansas City Wind Symphony continues to gain a reputation and one of the best small instrumental ensembles in town, and this weekend it presents two performances of its spring concert.  We have no information about the music to be performed on this program, but Dr. Philip Posey, the director, is sure to have something up his sleeve.  Best of all, admission is free.

UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
Conservatory Connections: Minima
Friday, Marcy 28 at 6:00, 6:45 and 7:30 p.m.
Nelson Atkins Museum of Art
Minimalism Gallery
4525 Oak Street, Kansas City, Missouri

What better place to hear modern minimalist music than the Minimalism Gallery of the Nelson Atkins Museum?  That's what UMKC's minimalist music group, called KcEMA, The Kansas City Electronic Music Alliance, thought.  The group "mines the conceptual world of minimalist composition in proximity to visual results of similar pursuits," according to the publicity for these free programs.  The same program will be repeated three times this Friday evening.

Free admission.

 
Heartland Men's Chorus

Heartland Men's Chorus
And Justice for All
Saturday, March 28 at 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 29 at 4:00 p.m.
Folly Theater
12th and Central, Downtown Kansas City, MO

The Heartland Men's Chorus presents its Spring concert this weekend, entitled And Justice for All, which takes as its theme "the 90th anniversary of the Constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote, the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech, and the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn Riot." The concert explores the  civil rights movement in its many aspects, including "the work that's been done, and the work still to do."

This concert will feature songs of inspiration and hope from these civil rights movements and others.

For tickets call 816-931-3335 or online at www.hmckc.org

Te Deum
Music by Britten, Stanford, Tavener, Part and Thompson
Saturday, March 28, 7:30 p.m.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
12th and Broadway, Downtown Kansas City, MO

Sunday, March 29, 3:00 p.m.
Village Presbyterian Church
6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, Kansas

Te Deum, a vocal group, will present the music of the above composers in this concert being  given at two different churches this weekend.  The group is directed by Matthew Christopher Shepard.

For more information call 913-671-2304

Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City
Spring Break in Latin America
Sunday, March 29 at 3:00 p.m.
Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel
Park University Campus, Parkville, MO

The Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City is a community orchestra headquartered at Park University but run by an independent board, which has gained a wide reputation throughout the Northland and the rest of Kansas City for excellent performances. The orchestra has been conducted for five years by Andrés Franco, the former assistant conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony.  

This concert will feature much music which is probably unfamiliar to most Kansas City classical music listeners.  The composers on tap include Enrique Soro, Daniel Alomia Robles, Ary Barroso, Arturo Marquez and others. In addition, returning to somewhat more familiar territory, the Philharmonia will join forces with Ga Hee-Lee, a young pianist and winner of the Kansas City Music Teacher's Association Concerto Award, for a movement from Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1.

For tickets call (816) 588-8033. Website is www.kcphilharmonia.org (tickets not available online) 

By Don Dagenais

City Classics Music and Dance Columnist; Classical Contributor

A lifelong classical music fan, Don Dagenais is a frequent preview speaker for the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and has taught classical music and opera courses at several Kansas City venues. He has served on the boards of directors of a number of performing arts organizations including the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Lyric Opera Guild, UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, Opera Volunteers International, the Civic Opera Theater of Kansas City, Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony, Octarium, and the Friends of the Symphony.  He has been the past president of most of these organizations and is current the president of the Friends of the Symphony. 

Dagenais co-authored a history of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, published on the occasion of its 50th anniversary (2007) and has written books on the histories of both the Lyric Opera Guild and Opera Volunteers International, as well as an introductory book for opera novices (Your Passport to the Opera).  He has received several local and national awards for outstanding volunteer work for the arts, including a lifetime achievement award from The Coterie Theatre in 2000, the Kansas City Musical Club's annual award in 2001, a Partners in Excellence Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2002, a Bravo Award from Opera Volunteers International in 2004 and a community service award from the Daughter of the American Revolution in 2008 honoring him for his community service to the arts.

In addition to his music interests, Don is president of the board of directors for the Metropolitan Ensemble Theater and has served on the boards of The Coterie Theatre and the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, serving as president of each organization.  He publishes newsletters for seven arts organizations.  When not involved in the performing arts, Don is a senior real estate attorney with Lathrop & Gage LLP in Kansas City, Missouri, where he has practiced law since 1976 after graduating from the Cornell Law School.