Press-Telegram: “Musicians work hard to prepare for 'Bicentennial' premiere”

[Above: Chorale Director Zanaida Robles, with Akari Banno at the piano, leads a rehearsal. (Steven Georges / Staff Photographer); Below: Chorale Director Zanaida Robles runs through practice at Cal State Long Beach for the West Coast premiere of the Bicentennial Symphony. (Steven Georges / Staff Photographer)]

Musicians work hard to prepare for 'Bicentennial' premiere
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/11/2009
LONG BEACH - “The hands of Zanaida Robles flutter like leaves in an updraft as the voices of 20 chorale members crescendo to a rousing conclusion. Robles, who will direct the singers for a performance Saturday, gives her charges an encouraging, 'That's great.' Then it's back to work. With only four rehearsals before show time, there is a lot of ground to cover. On Saturday, the MusicUntold orchestra and chorale will present the West Coast premiere of the 'Bicentennial Symphony,' the last completed symphony of late renowned composer Roy Harris.

“The music, which was debuted by the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C. in 1976, on a weekend celebrating the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, has not been played by any orchestra since and is so rare that no archival recordings are known to exist. That means Robles and the singers, who are central to the piece, are creating their interpretation of the symphony's text from scratch. 'I really like it,' says Robles, director of classical choirs at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and a soprano soloist who has performed internationally. 'It's growing on me. The more (the chorale singers) bring it to life, the more I like it.'"

“John Malveaux, who has pulled the event together on a shoestring budget that has limited the time available for rehearsals and preparation, said the orchestra under Joseph Taylor seemed to be developing interest in Harris' unique style that grew the more they got into its nuances. Beyond its significance as the last symphony of one of the country's foremost composers, the 'Bicentennial Symphony' is unique in its bold and even jarring political statement. It may be an acquired taste that settles in in degrees through multiple listenings. The symphony went silent and was all but forgotten. That changes on Saturday, at Long Beach's annual Juneteenth celebration at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 1950 Lemon Ave., beginning at noon. With Latin jazz and new blues, there will be plenty of musical diversity. But the centerpiece will be the symphony, which begins around 12:30 p.m.”