{"id":7944,"date":"2017-11-24T06:37:15","date_gmt":"2017-11-24T13:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myuctv.tv\/?p=7944"},"modified":"2017-11-24T06:37:15","modified_gmt":"2017-11-24T13:37:15","slug":"simply-fun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myuctv.tv\/blog\/arts-music\/simply-fun\/","title":{"rendered":"Simply Fun"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contributed by John Menier<\/em><\/p>\n

\n\"32822\"<\/a>In his remarks from the podium, La Jolla Symphony & Chorus Conductor Steven Schick notes that the 2017 edition of the \u201cYoung People\u2019s Concert\u201d features music by two composers with differing influences, temperaments, and styles: George Gershwin and Aaron Copland. While acknowledging the contrasts Schick also points out some surprising similarities shared by the two men: both were born to Russian-Jewish parents in Brooklyn, both studied in Paris, both had an interest in jazz and popular music, both experimented with different genres, and both came to prominence in the Jazz Age. First and foremost, Gershwin and Copland were American, with all that implies; as Gershwin put it, \u201cTrue music must reflect the thought and aspirations of the people and time. My people are Americans. My time is today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps the best expression of what\u2019s been called \u201cthe American touch\u201d may be found in two of Gershwin\u2019s most popular scores, \u201cRhapsody in Blue\u201d and \u201cAn American in Paris.\u201d Both pieces reflect Gershwin\u2019s abiding interest in jazz and blues, two indisputably American art forms, and both touch glancingly upon some of the conflicts and contradictions of American life (then and now). Ultimately, though, the most profound and appealing quality shared by the compositions is that, in the words of the Conductor, \u201cthey are simply fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

By comparison to the high-stepping confidence of the Gershwin tunes, Copland\u2019s \u201cQuiet City,\u201d originally written for a failed play, reflects another, more contemplative aspect of the American character. One reading holds that the longing and unfulfilled aspirations evoked by this piece warn of the consequences of not being true to one\u2019s self, an ever-present danger in a fast-moving, ambitious society. Perhaps. However one interprets \u201cQuiet City\u201d (if it needs any interpretation at all) there\u2019s no denying the work\u2019s beauty, the result of a perfect balance between string orchestra and two soloists on trumpet and oboe.<\/p>\n

Throughout his remarks, Steven Schick notes the empathy and intricate interplay between the various sections of the orchestra, by turns tempestuous and serene as required by the score, and the absolute need to serve the music and the composers. <\/p>\n

Watch Young People’s Concert 2017 – La Jolla Symphony & Chorus<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Contributed by John Menier In his remarks from the podium, La Jolla Symphony & Chorus Conductor Steven Schick notes that the 2017 edition of the \u201cYoung People\u2019s Concert\u201d features music by two composers with differing influences, temperaments, and styles: George Gershwin and Aaron Copland. While acknowledging the contrasts Schick also points out some surprising similarities […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[26,251,88],"tags":[421,422,252,189,423,424],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myuctv.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7944"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myuctv.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myuctv.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myuctv.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myuctv.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7944"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.myuctv.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7944\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.myuctv.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myuctv.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.myuctv.tv\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}