SPECIAL TO THE PIONEER PRESS

Each year during Black History Month, Plymouth Music Series presents ``Witness,'' concerts highlighting the African American contribution to classical music.

Once again, artistic director Philip Brunelle programmed a nice mix of pieces celebrating the rich African American heritage and charting the course into the 21st century.

The future resounded in the premieres of two commissioned pieces, settings of the poetry of Langston Hughes. Both were written expressly for baritone Stephen Salters.

``Suite Death'' by Dr. Ysaye M. Barnwell is a funny, searing exploration of dying. A member of the vocal ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock, she makes unique use of the chorus, casting them as an element of the accompaniment, producing sonic textures in support of the soloist.

In ``Gospel Cha Cha,'' Elena Ruehr creates a dense aural tapestry, layering Haitian rhythms, Gospel and African drumming over contemporary European sonorities. The result is a dark, contradictory portrait of Caribbean culture.

Both pieces benefited from Salters' dusky, liquid baritone and his commitment to communicating each word and note.

He stole the show with an incandescent performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams' ``Five Mystical Songs.'' He had chosen the cycle and brought to it a deeply affecting spiritual awareness.

Also prominent were works by two pioneers of African American music, John W. Work III and Jester Hairston, in this, their centennial year.

They were the first men to write down the traditional spirituals and arrange them for chorus. But they were composers in their own right and their works demonstrated the breadth of music yet to be rediscovered.

For an almost-all white ensemble, The Plymouth Music Series Chorus have mastered the styles for all these pieces. They sang with deep feeling and immaculate diction.

Brunelle conducted with an attitude of respect and celebration.

The program also featured two distinctly different orchestral pieces. There was the Midwest premiere of Alvin Singleton's ``56 Blows,'' a dissonant, percussive reflection on the beating of Rodney King. Then there was ``King of the Magi,'' a ballet excerpt by Duke Ellington demonstrating his skills beyond the expected jazz.

``Witness'' is a community event, including an extensive educational outreach program. As such, it made sense that the singers were joined by actor Kathryn Gagnon, soprano Yolanda Williams, the University of Minnesota Gospel Choir, directed by Sanford Moore, and students from the St. Paul Open School.

They added more energy to an already high-voltage event.

CATALOG

ORDERING MUSIC

LICENSING

WORKSHOPS

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK

PUBLICATIONS

COMMISSIONS

FAMILY ARCHIVES

MY FAVORITE LINKS

HOME PAGE