Dovetailing
with Oprah Winfey’s inspirational Golden Globe speech regarding a new
day appearing on the horizon, this weekend the Santa Monica Symphony
performed an exquisitely programmed concert celebrating freedom,
justice, and equality. One of the Santa Monica’s oldest treasures and a
city icon now in its 73rd season, the orchestra provides classical
music concerts free to the public five times per year.
Sponsored
in part by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Westside Coalition,
the concert featured primarily American music. Aaron Copland’s familiar
“Fanfare for the Common Man” opened the program, followed by an
orchestration of Duke Ellington’s composition “Black, Brown, and Beige,”
then “Te Deum” by Puccini and a stellar rendition of Joseph
Schwantner’s stunning and captivating piece “New Morning for the World.”
University of Southern California faculty member and highly
accomplished bass-baritone, Cedric Berry, served as narrator for “New
Morning for the World” commemorating Martin Luther King’s legacy with
pivotal excerpts from King’s speeches set to dramatic flourishes.
The
familiar opening tones of Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” set
the stage for an unparalleled program. Ellington’s “Black, Brown and
Beige,” was an aptly chosen piece for Martin Luther King weekend because
it recounts African American history and incorporates spirituals, the
blues, and a section entitled “Emancipation Celebration.” The first half
of the concert finished with the colossal power and lyricism of Cedric
Berry’s voice as he grandly empowered Puccini’s “Te Deum” aria from
“Tosca.”
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