Behind the music at the Colorado Music Festival

Peter Oundjian perpetually seems to have a story a few little anecdote about each piece of music he programs for the Colorado Music Festival Sometimes they are a little gossipy other times they get right at the heart of how classical selections come together for a concert But they perpetually serve to connect listeners more deeply to the music and to make them feel like insiders to the process Peter Oundjian is music director at the Colorado Music Festival The season starts July Geremy Kornreich provided by the Colorado Music Festival The music director s tales rolled off the tongue during a new interview about the festival s season which begins on July For example how he and pianist H l ne Grimaud a very dear friend I ve known her for years decided to perform Brahms Piano Concerto No for the opening concerts where she will guest star We just really love to do this piece together he explained and they knew it would be perfect for audiences in Boulder She is such a sincere artist Oundjian explained She becomes like a medium of the music and that s what we should perpetually be trying to do as musicians Another example He called up another old pal the legendary composer Joan Tower and persuaded her to write a concerto for saxophone that he could premiere at the festival Then he suggested a athlete rising star Steven Banks So they chatted and they got along really well and she agreed to write the piece Oundjian stated The process for the work Love Returns which will premiere July and began to take shape Steven went to visit Joan for three days and they just played music the whole time he announced They really became good friends It s rare for conductors to be quite so chatty But it s a gift to audiences because it helps them listen for nuance underlying the relationship between performers on stage or about a special connection a athlete might have to a composer and a piece of music tailored specifically for their talents Classical guitarist Xuefei Yang performs Rodrigo s Concierto de Aranjuez on July Provided by the Colorado Music Festival Related Articles Long-vacant -year-old movie house will reopen as a Denver music venue Colorado music icon Charles Burrell the Jackie Robinson of classical music dies at Puppy yoga Juneteenth Music Festival and more things to do this weekend Taylor Swift granted restraining order against Colorado man accused of stalking Brian Wilson Beach Boys visionary leader and summer s poet laureate dies at Oundjian s connections are what keep the festival season star-powered cohesive Musically the lineup is a variety show There will be a special focus on the work of Ravel which is meant to celebrate the composer s th birthday But of discipline there is Beethoven Schubert Mozart Dvo k and other expected pleasures along with several new pieces by contemporary composers One of those will be composer Eric Whitacre s The Pacific Has No Memory a piece he wrote for violinist Anne Akiko Meyers who is among the classical set s busiest soloists It will have its second presentations on July and at the Chautauqua Auditorium where the Colorado Music Festival holds its concerts That piece came together over a coffee between Whitacre and Oundjian at a Starbucks sort of The pair met to discuss a commission though as the conversation unfolded they became convinced a piece that Whitacre was already writing for Meyers would do the job perfectly and that the festival would jump on as a co-sponsor The Pacific Has No Memory was influenced by current events unfolding at the time Whitacre wrote it as a narrative piece about the wildfires that took place last year in Southern California There is tragedy at the heart of the music though it is very tender and very beautiful Oundjian noted The season runs through Aug though there are chosen special moments audiences might want to consider when organizing a visit or two That starts with the opening night which features possibly the greater part popular of Ravel s pieces Bol ro Oundjian says the work sounds easy to play but is truly quite tough to pull off Everyone has their own slightly different take he reported Pianist H l ne Grimaud stars in the kick-off concert July Provided by the Colorado Music Festival That operation also includes Stravinsky s Feu d artifice his Fireworks piece which is rarely performed in concert these days making the initiative both familiar and a bit adventurous for classical regulars There are also as usual in Boulder a number of exciting star turns by soloists Classical guitarist Xuefei Yang performs Rodrigo s Concierto de Aranjuez on July and violinist Benjamin Beilman arrives for An Evening of Mozart on July Two ensembles are also likely to hold special interest the Brentano String Quartet on July and the Dover Quartet on July But audiences might want to pay special attention to the Ravel works since it is clear the festival s in-house orchestra will be in it to win it it One special choice Meyers performance of Tzigane during her July engagements It should be lovely Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers known for her technique and her energetic performances appears at the Colorado Music Festival July and Diana Douglass provided by the Colorado Music Festival And as expected the season will wrap up with two beloved classical monsters On Aug that will be Beethoven s iconic Symphony No which features the choral works Ode to Contentment and will be performed by the St Martin s Chamber Choir It s a rather large production for the intimate Chautauqua Auditorium We will see how a large number of people will fit on the stage Oundjian revealed The final concert will be Mahler s Symphony No a piece that Oundjian has spent part of his career mastering It is one of the limited Mahler works that the composer himself did not conduct at its premiere in and he filled it with notes for those who would play it in later years So present-day conductors work hard to get at the heart of the piece finding the composer s intent while filtering through all of the methods it has been interpreted over time We have this kind of free reign with it Oundjian announced The festival is advertising the piece as a season-closer tradition since Oundjian has programmed it that way since he took over as music director though the conductor has a little gossip on that too Audiences should expect a shake-up for the final event in seasons to come How much longer that tradition will go on I don t know he declared For more info - - or coloradomusicfestival org Subscribe to our weekly newsletter In The Know to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox