Chris Brucbeck's "Danza del soul"

Synopsis

On today's date in 2006, a group of musicians assembled to read through a draft version of a new chamber music score by the American composer Chris Brubeck.

It was a big, 30-minute work in three movements, and the reading was taped, so Brubeck could review the recording and tweak his draft score. Brubeck says he likes to get to know the personalities of the musicians for whom he writes, and takes special care to tailor any new score to its first performers.

While listening to the tape, Brubeck found he particularly liked some of the things that happened as "mistakes" during the reading, and so, using the recording as a source, rewrote about 10% of his draft score based on some of quirks that occurred during the taped first run-through.

The title Chris Brubeck gave his new piece, "Danza del soul," is a bit of a pun, since the composer spells the third word S-O-U-L. The Spanish/English pun on the Spanish word for sun (S-O-L) is intentional, since, says Brubeck, "without any intention from me, the piece took on a kind of 'Spanish' life." The third movement of Brubeck's suite, is, in fact, subtitled "Celebracion de Vida" (celebration of life.)

Quirks and all, the Concord Chamber Music Society gave the premiere performance of "Danza del soul" in August of 2010, at a Tanglewood Festival concert in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts.

Music Played in Today's Program

Chris Brubeck (b. 1952) Danza del soul Concord Chamber Music Society Reference Recording RR-122

On This Day

Births

• 1561 - Italian composer Jacopo Peri, in Rome; His setting of Rinuccini's poem "Dafne," staged in 1600, is credited as the first opera;

Deaths

• 1813 - Bohemian composer Jan Krittel Vanhal (Johann Baptist Wanhal), age 74, in Vienna;

Premieres

• 1882 - Tchaikovsky: "1812 Overture," on an all-Tchaikovsky program presented during an Art and Industrial Exhibition in Moscow (Julian date: Aug. 8);

• 1943 - Manuel Ponce: Violin Concerto, in Mexico City, conducted by Carlos Chavez;

• 1956 - Bliss: "Edinburgh Overture," at the opening of the Edinburgh Festival of Music and Drama;

• 1958 - Menotti: opera "Maria Golovin," at the International Exposition in Brussels, Belgium;

• 1961 - John Harbison: "Duo" for flute and piano, at the Brooklyn Museum, with flutist Neil Zaslaw and pianist Juliette Arnold;

• 1965 - Harrison Birtwistle: "Tragoedia" for chamber ensemble, at Wardour Castle in England, during the Castle Summer School of Music, by the Melos Ensemble conducted by Lawrence Foster;

• 1973 - Carl Orff: cantata "De Temporum Fine Commedia" (A Play of the End of Time) at the Salzburg Festival, with Herbert von Karajan conducting;

• 1979 - Harbison: opera "The Winter's Tale" in San Francisco;

• 1980 - Rubbra: Symphony No. 11, in London by the BBC Northern Symphony;

• 1992 - Joan Tower: "Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman" No. 5 (dedicated to Joan Harris), at the opening of the Joan and Irving Harris Concert Hall at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado.

• 2004 - Zhou Long: “The Immortal” for orchestra, at a BBC Proms concerts with the BBC Symphony, Leonard Slatkin conducting;

• 2004 - Peter Maxwell Davies: “Naxos Quartet” No. 4 (“Children’s Games”), in the Chapel of the Royal Palace, Oslo (Norway) during the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, by the Maggini Quartet.