French works of the period are melodic, breezy and sometimes quite light. And there’s nothing wrong with that because there is also a delightful accessibility, a romance even, to this repertoire, which in included pieces by Dukas, Chausson, Saint-Saëns, Fauré and Ravel. Debussy, I’m sorry to say, was sadly missing from the line-up this evening.

If there was a star that night, it would have to be violin soloist Michael Hanson, concertmaster for the orchestra. First, Hanson navigated Chausson’s lush Poème quite handily and with real feeling. But it was in Saint-Saëns’ violin showpiece, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, that he really shined, moving from lyrical sections to the bowing and fingering that wore me out just watching it.

The orchestra followed Smith’s lead to flawless effect with a stunning clarity and precision. And I’ve seldom seen a conductor as plugged into an orchestra as he was. That relationship was evident the performance.

The highpoints of the evening, though, came after intermission. The two Ravel works – Valses Nobles et Sentimentales and La Valse – were superb. Both are interpretations of the waltz, of course, but Ravel, ever the pointillist, deconstructs the sound. That’s especially true in La Valse, where he juxtaposes pure waltz sound with an unexpected perversion of it — turbulance, uncertainty, yearning. Although firmly tied to traditional melody, it’s a collage that feels curiously modern. Lovely.

“WE’LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS”

Colorado Springs Philharmonic

WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Oct. 25

WHERE: Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave.

TICKETS: $14 to $54; csphilharmonic.org

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The full-ish house cheered, wooped and clapped as the orchestra leaned into the opening strains of John Williams’ indelible score for “Star Wars.” You could almost feel the synapses sparking as memory, story and music all coalesced in that one all-too-brief selection.

Unfortunately that kind of transportive moment was all too rare Saturday night as the Phil kicked off its out-of-the-box pops season.

The evening, which also celebrated the All Pikes Peaks Reads 2009 space programming, started with conductor Thomas Wilson’s voice over the Pikes Peak Center’s invisible sound system.

“This is Captain Wilson of the space station philharmonic,” he started.

Then Wilson, wearing a blue, NASA-style jumpsuit, made his entrance descending on a tether from the stage rafters.

It was just the beginning of Wilson’s affectionate MCing of repertoire that he obviously loves. The orchestra followed suit with only a few missteps, including occassionally muddy sound in the brass section and akimbo pacing between the soloists and the rest of the orchestra.

The first selection set the tone for most of the evening: “The Twilight Zone: The Movie” was a nice enough but anonymous piece that begged for storytelling to fill in the musical picture. Ditto for “The Last Starfighter,” “Lost in Space,” “Total Recall,” “Predator,” “Cocoon” and even the main theme from the new “Star Trek” film.

Which made me wonder if scores can really stand on their own. They’re made to support and further on-screen action so any complexity would likely be lost in the shuffle, or worse, distract from the story.  So what are you usually left with? Melodic pleasantries. Rousing marches. Mood-setting interludes.

That all works, though, when you come upon pieces tied to scores (and films) that are milestones in our cinematic collective consciousness — anthems like Williams’ “Star Wars” or David Arnold’s “Independance Day” or even Arnold’s yearning “Stargate” or Jerry Goldsmith’s icy and uncertain “Alien,” the latter being the most musically interesting and unexpected piece of the evening.

Not everything needed to be a blockbuster, of course. And the fact that this was the second concert of the same theme (the first in the Spring timed to the beginning of the All Pikes Peak Reads program) probably narrowed the choices.

Even a few more of the sci-fi canon –  “ET,” “Superman,” “Star Trek’s” TV theme, “Jurassic Park,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and others — would have taken the evening from pleasant enough to the kind of exciting and enriching entertainment that opens doors to more challenging orchestral music.

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Call 884-2110 for more information.

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This isn’t a great orchestra – there are weaknesses. But for this Sunday matinee, the art brought forth was phenomenal. This was a great performance of Mahler’s last complete symphony. The work seems to have been composed by a man who had already passed on to the afterlife. The opportunity for us, who still have to undergo our daily struggles- to glimpse the beauty, sadness and horror of the next plain of existence is a real privilege. Thank you… thank you… thank you Colorado Springs Philharmonic for taking this on. It’s at times like this when I recount why we have an orchestra. Yes- the community pays the bills. But we only have this wonderful ensemble because the musicians chose to keep making music when it would have been easier to let it go back in 2003.

The sound was as advertised: MAGNIFICENT. Climaxes were rich and powerful- the hall has never sounded so good. Massed strings were so beautiful and then so profound in the final movement. And thanks to the players’ unyielding concentration, the intimate chamber moments of Mahler’s ridiculously dense score were no less riveting. Oh- they were paying the utmost attention to the conductor- Lawrence Leighton Smith – who just this week announced that he would be leaving us in two years.

Larry’s musical intelligence and commitment make every performance he conducts special. But none as much as this. When he finally turned to accept the audiences’ rousing ovation, I’m sure it was not my imagination that he was sharing the same tears as me. It is a kind of death for us to lose Larry and there could have been no better piece of music to galvanize the very apparent feelings about. I love you Larry.

Oh- did I forget my rant? Don’t worry. The house was maybe 3/5 filled. This is not music for old people. This is great art that anyone can be transported by, on whatever level they receive it. I’m sure the house was fuller last night, but why were there so many empty seats? What one would pay for a first-run movie adorned by popcorn and Cokes would get you a good seat in this beautiful looking and sounding concert hall. And where were the Mahler fans from the north? In a span of four weeks, the 8th (MahlerFest just this past May 16 and 17) our 9th and the 2nd (next weekend in Denver from the Colorado Symphony [www.coloradosymphony.org]) are all happening. But I know the answer. The same place they were when my beloved Opera Theatre of the Rockies presented outstanding productions of Weill’s Street Scene – not here.

This must stop. Why does the rest of Colorado mostly ignore what we do here? There is great work being done in all art forms in the Pikes Peak region, but so many- here and around the state- discount what we bring to the table. This time, they missed out gloriously. This afternoon was a profound and magical experience. We have to do better moving people to arts action!

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Now, I’ve been doing my summertime ramblings for the CS Indy, for the once-upon-a-time ArtsPeak on KCME as well as the recently deceased Springs Magazine for 13 years! So while I’m delighted that Warren has decided to take on our mountain magic with such vigilance, I still want to be sure that the details are honored. In Breckenridge’s upcoming events sidebar last Friday, there was no specific mention made of the two biggies: the Breckenridge Music Festival (June 27- Aug. 17: www.breckenridgemusicfestival.com) and the 50th Anniversary season of the National Repertory Orchestra (June 19- Aug. 7). Between the two of these Riverwalk Center residents, there’s enough symphonic and chamber music and then guest pop artists (i.e. Cowboy Junkies, Richie Havens, Leo Kottke) to more than fulfill anyone’s summertime dreams.

You also may have noticed that this is the first time I’m writing on this blog with admin access. I’ll try to make it more blog than slog, but that will take some effort. I hope to give my impressions of the CS Phil’s potentially momentous Mahler 9 after this weekend.

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“I always make sure our dancers know they are winners already because of what they have done to prepare,” said Patricia Hoffmann, Founder and co-Artistic Director of Ballet Society and its pre-professional performing company Colorado’s Classical Youth Ballet. “Even still, it is still rewarding to see how well they fared in a competitive environment. After all, many of our dancers will be seeking to continue their careers in college, university and professional company settings. Being able to perform in a competitive setting then becomes crucial to their success.”

“We’re proud of them,” said co-Artistic Director Holly Marble. “This is valuable reinforcement for our winners as well as for all of our students. It helps them see that the hard work and commitment we ask for really does make a difference.”

Joshua Allenback, age 16, resides in Pueblo and has been dancing for one and one-half years with Ballet Society and the Youth Ballet. He was awarded a $250 scholarship from the Esther Geoffrey Competition and a $1500 scholarship from Denver Ballet Guild, where he earned 2nd place in Senior Men’s Division. Josh will be attending the Joffrey Summer Intensive in New York City for eight weeks on scholarship this coming summer.

Julianna Bicki, age 17, is from Monument/ Palmer Lake and has been studying for three years with Ballet Society and the Youth Ballet. She received a $500 scholarship from the Esther Geoffrey Competition and a $500 scholarship from the Denver Ballet Guild as the 5th place winner in the Senior Women’s Division. Juliana is in the process of auditioning for a position in a professional dance company for the 2009-2010 season.
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Charlotte Coltrin, age 13, is a Homeschooled student from the Colorado Springs Wolf Ranch area. She has been dancing for 6 years with Ballet Society and 5 years with the Youth Ballet. She earned a $200 scholarship from the Denver Ballet Guild as one of 10 finalists in the Junior Girls’ Division.

Tyler Gum, age 18, hails from Falcon and is a freshman on scholarship at the University of Arizona. Tyler has danced for one year with Ballet Society and the Youth Ballet with whom he continues to perform. He still receives coaching from Patricia Hoffman. Tyler was awarded a $2000 scholarship from Denver Ballet Guild as 1st place finisher in the Senior Men’s Division. He also is the Youth America Grand Prix winner in the semifinalist competition in Denver by placing 1st in Classical Ballet and 2nd in Contemporary Dance in the Senior Men’s Division. Tyler will travel to New York City at the end of April to compete as a finalist in the YAGP national competition. This summer, Tyler will be attending the Joffrey Summer Intensive in NYC for 3 weeks and Pacific Northwest Ballet Summer Intensive for 5 weeks, both on full scholarship.

Paige Hupy, age 17, resides in northeastern Colorado Springs and is a junior at Air Academy High School. She has had three years at Ballet Society and the Youth Ballet. Paige received a $100 scholarship from the Esther Geoffrey Competition and a $250 scholarship from the Denver Ballet Guild as one of 10 finalists in the Senior Women’s Division She will be attending Julliard Summer Dance Intensive in NYC this summer.

Hillary MacPhee, age 17, resides in Stetson Hills and is a Homeschooled student dancing for seven and one half years with Ballet Society and the Youth Ballet. She received a $250 scholarship from the Denver Ballet Guild as one of 10 finalists in the Senior Women’s Division.

Mariah Plutt, age 15, attends Timberview Middle School and has been with Ballet Society and 4 years with the Youth Ballet for four years. She received a $200 scholarship from the Denver Ballet Guild as one of 10 finalists in the Junior Girls’ Division.

Amanda Townley, age 13, lives in Woodland Park and has been with the Ballet Society and the Youth Ballet for one year. She received a $200 scholarship from the Denver Ballet Guild as one of 10 finalists in the Junior Girls’ Division.

Ballet Society of Colorado Springs, founded in 1997, has a mission of training young dancers with a focus on excellence, health, and integrity. Ballet Society offers extensive training in classical ballet, as well as programs in contemporary dance, tap, worship dance and Pilates for children and adults. The studio launched Colorado’s Classical Youth Ballet Company in September of 2003. This group of 50 young dancers, who study and rehearse year-round, presents classical and contemporary ballet to audiences throughout Colorado Springs. They have been featured in two ballet presentations with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic this season: Suites from the Firebird and Coppelia this past Oct. and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Jan. The company will offer a full-length Coppelia on Saturday, May 16 at 3 pm and 7 pm in the Rampart High School Theatre. Company and studio information and a full schedule of upcoming performances are available by calling (719) 272-7078 or online at www.danceinthesprings.com and www.coclassicalyouthballet.com.

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The product we beheld was absolutely stunning: The Pikes Peak Center remains the best place within 1,000 miles to hear an orchestral or opera performance. The sound is rich and reverberant, and its visual setting is equally engaging. The stage was packed with more than 80 professionals … that’s right — musicians with degrees and on-the-job experience that would make your finest physician or attorney blush with inadequacy.

Conductor Lawrence Leighton Smith looked to be dragging on his way to the podium — an impression instantly dispelled when he gave the downbeat on this two-plus hours of music.
The concert began with the mushy but sonically stimulating “Death and Transfiguration” of Richard Strauss but was transformed by American music — the First Symphony of Samuel Barber. Defying conventional wisdom, the second and far more strident and edgy of the opening works, swept the crowd away through its undeniable intensity, rhythmic relentlessness and soul-searching aura — even though few had heard it before. The Orchestra feasted on the challenge, and it showed.

After an intermission that gave everyone a chance to share the excitement of the moment, cellist Daniel Lee from the St. Louis Symphony gave an almost perfect and emotionally charged reading of one of the repertoire’s great challenges — the Elgar Cello Concerto — with the orchestra matching his intensity and commitment. Although we already had had our fair share of musical magic, there was still the raucous “Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1” by Georges Enescu to come.

After an evening of intense explorations of the human condition, its meaningless orgy of symphonic sounds and folk melodies was the perfect prescription to send us all home strutting and humming.
So here’s the deal: anybody, regardless of their musical inclination, would have loved this concert. Classical music in these parts remains some sort of sacred cow that everyone admires but far too few deem worth the worship. The press certainly doesn’t help much. Our TV stations gave lots of airtime to the orchestra when it was teetering on extinction back in 2003, but barely acknowledge its existence now that normalcy has ensued. The product is just not hip enough for The Independent, which seems to truly know what really is good art and what is just your grandfather’s embarrassing excesses.

I still can never understand how The Gazette can let an event that more than 2,000 attend and could accommodate close to 4,000 not get marquee coverage every time — sorry folks, there’s just nothing of this kind of consistent quality that comes close around here. This concert received but a blurb on Page 3 of this section; albeit a long overdue and pleasant profile of Nathan Newbrough, the Philharmonic’s new executive director, appeared in the Gazette’s Life section on the day of this concert. (I can’t help but mention that almost two months ago my far more hard-hitting interview with this man, who is trying to rescue this organization from spinning out of orbit, graced the pages of Springs Magazine.)

The Arts Summit held the previous weekend inspired me to conjure up an image (perhaps you’ve heard it before) of what the arts are for this community: a pig with lipstick on it. We who live in and love the arts know this couldn’t be further from the truth. But that’s how it occurs for 99 percent of the people in the Pikes Peak region. Peakradar.com has done a fine makeover on our prized possessions, but the phone’s just not ringing like it should.
Trust me on this one — there’s nothing “sausagey” about the symphony. You can’t count on this message coming to you from the media. Just plop down twenty bucks and go to a concert. Wear what you like, bring your grandmother — she’ll be mightily impressed with you. I know it’s not “Dancing with the Stars” — but it is communing with the gods.
David Sckolnik

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My favorite moment: New philharmonic director Nathan Newbrough was talking about how Colorado Springs has a “second city” complex.

NATHAN: We can’t say we’re that good because we’re not Denver. That’s bollocks!
SUSAN EDMONDSON: He said “bollocks”!

This thing was part of the wider Dream City: Vision 2020 initiative, a project designed to involve a wide swath of our community in discussions about our future.

Some good ideas came out of it:
• Create a Pikes Peak or Bust Festival on Barr Trail and the summit of Pikes Peak, capitalizing on the natural and created beauty here. I think that’s brilliant. (Kathleen Collins, who’s on the boards of everything, came up with that one.)
• Revive the arts bus to take people to arts events and call it Van GO! (That wasn’t there spelling and punctuation; I’m taking liberties.)
• Create an arts meter, next to parking meters where people could donate “common cents” to the arts. (Homeless advocates recently came up with a similar idea, and I think it could work for both causes.)
• Create an Arts Pass that would give you a bundled, discount ticket to various local arts events.
• Work more collaboratively on the administration side. Plenty of arts groups do shows together, but this idea goes a step further. Plenty of arts groups would like a paid staff worker who works 8 hours a week. Instead, several groups could share one worker.
• Develop richer arts districts.
• Build arts/community centers throughout the region.
Another important theme was inclusivity. Local artist and writer Roberta Rand wrote a fine essay about that. Here’s an excerpt. (You can read her entire essay, as well as other comments on the arts summit at the Colorado Springs Arts Blog: csartsblog.freedomblogging.com.

From Diversity to Inclusivity:
A Sticky Wicket for Colorado Springs
By Roberta Rand
Back in the heyday of Citizens Project, circa 1993, I was on my way to a meeting downtown when I came upon a long string of cars parked along Nevada Avenue, all with “Celebrate Diversity” bumper stickers strategically placed on their left bumpers. Oh, the irony – and me without my instamatic camera . . .
Fast forward to last Saturday and the Arts Summit sponsored by COPPeR. I sat at a table with the best and the brightest of the Springs creative community; dancers, musicians, painters and writers. Our assignment: brainstorm a plan to re-brand Colorado Springs as an arts-centric city. We all agreed, at least in theory, that it’s time to move beyond the “celebrate diversity” message to a new spirit of inclusiveness. After all, we’re all in this together. We are the world, right?
And yet, the prevailing view (at least among the sampling at our table), was that the real arts and artists reside downtown and on the West side. Even then, they bemoaned the kitsch factor in Old Colorado City — galleries that cater to tourists with Precious Moments collectibles and schlocky takes on Native American culture.
But it’s precisely this “us vs. them” attitude that presents the biggest hurdle to a true spirit of community among art lovers in Colorado Springs. Artists are a notoriously snobbish and opinionated bunch. Deep down we really don’t want to get along; we’d just as soon annihilate the unenlightened hicks who collect G. Harvey prints and howling coyote figurines. The same goes for those who view any culture south of Briargate as dangerous, depraved and unfit for Christian consumption.
If we are to achieve authentic status as an “arts city” — and not just a series of bastions guarded by our own prejudices of what constitutes “Art,” we must begin to relate to one another as worthy human beings connected by our shared humanity. Kierkegaard said, “When you label me, you negate me.” It’s time to get past the attitude that I am right and YOU are the enemy because we don’t share the same values, political views, religious convictions – or shi-shi Zip code. Intolerant attitudes poison liberal and conservative minds alike. As long as we persist in emphasizing the “other”-ness of people who don’t see the world as we do, the Springs will remain a collection of disjointed cultural fiefdoms.
Celebrating diversity is easy, because you can do it from a distance. Inclusivity, on the other hand, is hard work. It requires engaging with people you may not like or understand. What all of us who love creativity and self-expression must ask ourselves is whether we really do want to get along – or would rather go on as we always have, sticking with our own kind.

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We’ll miss him. He bought an expertise and conversational writing style that made him among the best arts writers and critics in the state.

To fill his job, we’ll be using local free-lancers.

If you’re interested, please email me, Warren Epstein, at warren.epstein@gazette.com.

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When I get a moment, I’ll write more about the change. Right now I just want to thank all those who have supported and challenged me through 15 years as the Gazette’s arts writer. It’s been an amazingly interesting and stimulating job, with a wonderful group of co-workers.

posted by Mark Arnest at 11:11 AM

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