In the summer, Manitou Springs has always been a mecca for tourism and a gateway to mountain adventures. Unfortunately, the danger of flash floods is now part of the mix.
2 photos Manitou Chamber Music Festival: 'Innovation'
Who: Faculty and student musicians
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Benet Hill Monastery, 3190 Benet Lane
Tickets: $10-$20; 632-9534, manitouchambermusicfestival.com
Next: 7:30 p.m. Friday. 'Inspiration,' music by Beethoven, Grieg and Dvorak, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 800 Manitou Ave., Manitou Springs, $10-$20, 632-9534, manitou chambermusicfestival.com
Still, score one for culture on Tuesday. Those of us who braved the elements were treated to a poignant evening of music offered by the newly minted Manitou Chamber Music Festival and 'Innovation,' a performance at the midpoint of the festival. It ends on Aug. 3. Beethoven was supposed to open the program but the illness of cellist Pam Chaddon caused a switch to Debussy. Artistic director Cullan Bryant took his place at the piano, joined by cellist Richard von Foerster, for the composer's Cello Sonatafrom 1915. The duo easily captured the shifting moods and pristine textures of this miniature masterpiece. The clear, rich sound and the intimacy of the space just enhanced the experience. Missing was information about the festival and its mission and, more important, any kind of introduction to what was being performed. This was especially unfortunate in the case of the Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 2. Completed in 1944, the work is at times macabre, manic or agonizing as it explores the horror produced by World War II, specifically the Jewish Holocaust. There is every reason to give an audience the tools to better understand the work. The performance itself was a revelation. Festival founder, director and violinist Jeri Jorgensen, gave one of her finest performances. Foerster set the tone with a series of eerily beautiful disembodied harmonics and Bryant held the work together by delivering maximum drama. The fact that torrential rain, thunder and lightning erupted during the final two movements made this an unforgettable musical moment. The essence of the festival was revealed in the evening's finale. Faculty artists Jorgensen, Foerster and violist Ann Roggen were joined by students for the expansive Sextet in B-flat by Brahms. Violinist Sigrun Hardardottir, violist Caroline McCaskey and cellist Elizabeth Riley are all part of the Aviva String Quartet and have been students of Jorgensen's at Denver's Lamont School of Music. It was fascinating to watch them become an ensemble with their teachers. The seasoned professionals relied upon their listening and a highly developed sense of awareness, barely making eye contact within the ensemble. The students seemed always to be looking up - working hard to assure that the musical seams were as tight as possible. While this performance could not match the extraordinary virtuosity regional audiences have become accustomed to at the Colorado College Summer Music Festival, it offered something else that was equally important: an urgency in the playing that became apparent in the heart of the work, its second movement theme and variations. The ensemble rode this musical intensity toward an interpretation that was both convincing and potent.
Entities 0 Name: Jorgensen Count: 2 1 Name: Beethoven Count: 2 2 Name: Manitou Springs Count: 2 3 Name: Jeri Jorgensen Count: 1 4 Name: Denver Count: 1 5 Name: Manitou Chamber Music Festival Count: 1 6 Name: Ann Roggen Count: 1 7 Name: Cullan Bryant Count: 1 8 Name: Episcopal Church Count: 1 9 Name: St. Andrew Count: 1 10 Name: Grieg Count: 1 11 Name: Sigrun Hardardottir Count: 1 12 Name: Dvorak Count: 1 13 Name: Bryant Count: 1 14 Name: Foerster Count: 1 15 Name: Caroline McCaskey Count: 1 16 Name: Debussy Count: 1 17 Name: Benet Hill Monastery Count: 1 18 Name: Pam Chaddon Count: 1 19 Name: Richard von Foerster Count: 1 20 Name: Lamont School of Music Count: 1 21 Name: Manitou Ave. Count: 1 22 Name: Shostakovich Piano Trio No. Count: 1 23 Name: Brahms Count: 1 24 Name: Colorado College Summer Music Festival Count: 1 25 Name: Elizabeth Riley Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1pFK53E Title: Unplug to Recharge the Innovator in You: The Story of Pickathon Description: Posted: Print Article Twenty minutes outside of Portland, Oregon, lies Pendarvis Farm -- a pristine mix of meadows and Douglas Fir with miles of hiking trails and views of Mt. Hood. Sometimes our most disruptive experiences have nothing to do with our use of technology.
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