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Delights and Dances

Houston’s conductor-less ensemble Kinetic closes its unprecedented season with an all-American, dance-inspired program exploring the importance of dance in our communities, whether it is through religious rituals, a celebration of shared culture and identity, or collective grief and mourning. The role of community has never been more essential in our lives, as we recover from a dark and isolating year of this pandemic.

Jennifer Higdon’s Breeze Serenade was originally part of a larger work, Dance Card. She writes, “This work reflects the deep commitment that string players bring to their music making, not only in the many years of learning to play their instruments, but also in the dedication manifested in gorgeous music-making as an ensemble.”

John Adam’s Shaker Loops was inspired by the composer’s childhood memories of a Christian colony  in New Hampshire called the Shakers, “the vision of these otherwise pious and industrious souls caught up in the ecstatic frenzy of a dance that culminated in an epiphany of physical and spiritual transcendence.”

William Bolcom dedicated his most famous composition, Graceful Ghost Rag, to the memory of his father. The simple, bittersweet melody starts with the viola while the other musicians’ dancing rhythms in the background help conjure up feelings of nostalgia and longing.

Michael Abel’s Dances and Delights was written in celebration of the Sphinx Organization’s 10th anniversary. Abels writes, “The piece begins with a slow, graceful introduction, which reveals a blues section. Soloists take turns playing virtuostic cadenzas over the orchestra’s gentle, rhythmic pizzicato. The final section is a raucous hoedown, with more technically dazzling solos by the [string] quartet.”

PROGRAM
Jennifer Higdon: “Breeze Serenade” from Dance Card
John Adams: Shaker Loops
William Bolcom: Graceful Ghost Rag
Michael Abels: Delights and Dances

 

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Date:
June 6, 2021
Time:
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Cost:
$25
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Venue
MATCH Houston (Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston)
3400 Main St.
Houston, TX 77002 United States
Phone:
(713) 874-5875
Website:
https://matchouston.org/
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