Today at 4:30 p.m. in the acoustically wondrous space at First Baptist Church of Oklahoma City, the 2024 Brightmusic Summer Festival will conclude.
The Sunday performance is entitled “Musical Memories,” and begins at 4:30 p.m.
The works and composers include:
• Johann Sebastian Bach, Duetti for Violin and Cello, BWV 802, 803, 804, and 805
• George Frideric Handel/Johan Halvorsen, Passacaglia for Violin and Cello
• Max Heyck (University of Oklahoma), Superluminal Motion, world premiere
• Maurice Ravel, Piano Trio
If you go, plan to add a little time so you can enjoy the after-concert reception -- with food and liquid refreshments on same floor as the Brightmusic performance space.
Hayek is a well-regarded junior composer at the University of Oklahoma, where he has benefitted from studies with Jerod Tate and Konstantinos Karathanasis. His notable achievements a first place from the Prelude Camp Young Composers Competition, and winning his spot today through the Brightmusic Commissioning Competition. His compositional work already has included the International Music Festival of the Adriatic and Tonal Composers Festival|Brasília.
Reviewing Thursday's concert
On Thursday , the Ensemble performed as "The Virtuoso Wind Quartet." A highlight of the program was world premiere of "Kobe, Japan," composed by Andrew Crawford.
A recent graduate of Oklahoma City University, Crawford wrote the piece to reflect the influence of his hometown, Kobe, and its modern music culture blending Jazz, and.the Japanese Pop/Fusion of the 1980s.
The work consisted of three parts: 1. "Jazz Kissa,” 2. "Nunobiki Herb Gardens & Falls," and "Shopping, Motomachi to Harborland: Sunset at Kobe Port Tower."
The first section was deeply appealing. In the second, a nice Germanic hint could be heard (the little stream that cascades through the "Bavarian-inspired" herb gardens atop the Mount Rokko range of Japan. The final "nugget" evoked shopping then then waiting the Sun's descent at or near the Kobe Port Tower. Taken as a whole, the work was cheerfu and vibrant. In fact, its appealing themes ought to be in the movies.
The Thursday "sets" for the Brightmusic musicians was beautifully diverse.
They gave Crawford's premiere piece loving care and presentation.
Recordings of this will make their way aroung the music world.
In all, the evening included eight works -- four of them from Johann Sebastian Bach set into the program in first, third, fifth and seventh position.
His "Chorale Prelude" was both sacred and efficient, composed as "Sleepers Awake" to call Bach's contemporaries to the spiritual realm of faith in God.
Several of the Bach arrangements came from contemporary Israeli bassoonist Mordechair Rechntman.
The Bach tribute continued (after the Crawford preimiere) with Chrsit lag in Todesbanden (Christ lay in the snare of death). The work of flutist Parthena Owens was solid all night, but she seemed to soar toward Heaven in this number.
The third Bach work was just four minutes long, another choral prelude. It was beautiful and efficient, a stellar achievement and magnificent presentation.
The fourth Bach piece evoked themes from the writings and music of the Reformation and Martin Luther.
One movement from "Wind Quintet Number 2" bt American composer David Maslanka (1943-2017) featured brief "lead parts" for each musician, as recurring themes wove in and around and through each instrument.
One could, quite literally, hear a swam of bumblebees in the air during the 3-minute Scherzo of Eugene Bozza (1905-1991). He was a french cocmposer of great talent who, some say, wrote the piece as a sort of reply to the beloved "Flight of the Bumblebees."
The longest piece of the night came last, described by Brightmusic's co-artistic director (Chad Burrow) as "incredible."
The Wind Quintet of Denmark's Carl Neilsen (1865-1931) had some elements of aural "deschant" but built to a lyrical and harmonized conclusion.
A man of deep faith whose life was filled with stress and strain, this particular work incorporated a popular medlody with lyrics (loosely translated) pleading "Jesus, make my heart love you."
Thursday’s Quintet included Parthena Owens (flute), Lisa Harvey-Reed (oboe), Kate Pritchett (Horn), Chad Burrow (Clarinet), and Rod Ackmann (Basoon). Ackmann was able to have some fun by adding a pipe of sorts to his Bassoon, to reach the lowest “F” note in this reviewer’s memory.
Thursday's program was deemed the Mae Ruth Swanson Memorial Concert, to honor one of the great historical community leaders in the advancement of local, live performance of great works of music.
Tuesday's performance featured three great works:
• William Aceytuno (Oklahoma City University), The Swan Song of Time, world premiere
• Claude Debussy, Première Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano
• Olivier Messiaen, Quartet for the End of Time, (for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano)
Monday evening 's program featured works from Jean Sibelius, Nadia Boulanger, Guillaume Lekeu and the world premiere of OCU student Zoe Bosin's "Freshwater Pearls."
The Brightmusic Ensemble performs at First Baptist Church, 1201 North Robinson in midtown Oklahoma City. During the summer festibal, free parking is available north and southwest of the building. Admission for this final concert if $20. Military Veterans and Students with I.D. are free.
There are many parking spots on-street and north of the building for handicapped persons. The venue offers plenty of space to spread out in comfort and greater safety.
Background for this week's entire set of concerts can be gleaned here:
https://www.citynewsokc.com/arts_and_entertainment/featuring-world-premieres----brightmusic-summer-festival-june-17-18-20-and-23/article_80b399d4-2a65-11ef-89db-132bbf290359.html
NOTES and Disclosure: Pat McGuigan, editor emeritus and arts critic/reporter for CityNews, is an uncompensated member of the Brightmusic Society of Oklahoma Board of Directors. Pat relies on Malcolm Zachariah's photographs and program notes, and those of Larry Reed, in his coverage of Brightmusic. Zachariah and Reed also members of the Brightmusic Board.
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