The Red Brick Times

A small, but enthusiastic, audience greeted the Imani Winds last night at Lorain County Community College. They presented works from Brazilian, Cuban, American and Thai composers that featured incredibly sophisticated syncopation, structure, harmony and rhythms. My favorite was the one by the Thai composer. The flute player opened and made her orchestral flute sound like an Asian bamboo instrument with note bending and incredible slow-pulsed vibrato control. Then my favorite was the two-movement piece by the Cuban composer, titled "Kites". The first movement evoked kites over Havana, and the second movement described wind chimes in the breeze. The players spoke the lines of poetry about flight and freedom that inspired the composer to write this piece. Then my favorite was a piece by Wayne Shorter written expressly for the Imani Winds. The French Horn opened with a two-note heartbeat pulse that was echoed throughout the work, first underlying the phrase, then split between the instruments, as many heartbeats together, slightly out of synch, then represented in the abstract by the spaces between the notes, then reprised by the ensemble trading phrases and harmonic structure. I was hearing one mind and one set of lungs play five separate instruments. They closed with a Brazilian "Tango Nuevo", which, as the French Horn player described, was intended not to be danced, but to be played with the same passion as the dance. It certainly worked well for me. Thanks to Russ for suggesting this evening out.
Posted 7:07 AM by Andy (0) comments

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