Las Vegas Philharmonic Celebrates the Music of Mexico and American Southwest, Today

The Las Vegas Philharmonic performs its Copland in Mexico - Cabrera Conducts Copland & Revueltas Concert on Saturday, November 4, 2017 at 7:30 PM in Reynolds Hall at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts. From 6:30 PM-7:30 PM, experience the sights and sounds of Mexico and the American Southwest with special guest entertainment, a painted violin art walk and a composer tour, which will introduce concert-goers to Mexican composers and their interpretations of the sounds of Mexico. The concert is funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the "Music Unwound" Initiative.

The week leading up to the concert will include a series of lectures and exhibitions in collaboration with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to celebrate the culture of Mexico and the American Southwest. To kick-off the Music Unwound Festival, the Las Vegas Philharmonic Guild and Las Vegas Philharmonic Board Trustee, Pat Fink, will host an opening reception on Monday, October 30th from 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM featuring a fajita bar, live entertainment and discussion. On Tuesday, October 31st from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM, UNLV College of Fine Arts will present a symposium led by Cultural Historian and Music Unwound Curator Joseph Horowitz and distinguished UNLV music faculty about film music scored by Revueltas, Copland and Thomson. UNLV History professor Dr. Miriam Melton-Villanueva will lead a symposium Wednesday, November 1st from 6:00 PM-8:00 PM about Pancho Villa, the Mexican Revolution and art and music's roles during that time. On Saturday, November 4th from 10:30 AM- 12:45 PM, the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Music Director Donato Cabrera will offer an open rehearsal in Reynolds Hall for a behind-the-scenes look at the rehearsal process for our Copland in Mexico concert, including a welcome talk from Maestro Cabrera and post-rehearsal discussion with Dr. Roberto Kolb-Neuhaus, a world-renown Revueltas scholar. Tickets and RSVPs for the opening reception and open rehearsal, as well as information about the Music Unwound festival, can be found at www.musicunwoundvegas.com.

The Philharmonic opens its performance with "Buckaroo Holiday," "Corral Nocturne," and "Hoe-Down," three selections from Copland's musical score to the ballet Rodeo. Rodeo is a love-story about a cowgirl pining for the attention of the head wrangler at Burnt Ranch. The music masterfully captures the essence of this cowboy ballet through Copland's use of folk tunes.

Next, the Philharmonic performs Revueltas's Homenaje a Federico García Lorca. Revueltas's piece is a memorial tribute to the Spanish poet, Federico García Lorca, who was murdered by fascist militia forces during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. The instrumentation captures sadness and joy from a mournful trumpet solo to the recreation of a mariachi band in full swing.

Following Reveueltas's tribute, the orchestra performs the musical score to the 60-minute 1935 film, Redes ("fishing nets"). The film is about the social and economic challenges of the Veracruz fishing village of Alvarado. The music is ominous and vibrant, depicting the fishermen's hardship and sorrow at a village funeral, segueing into a gallant fight for political reform as highlighted through brass instruments.

The orchestra concludes the evening performance with another Copland selection, El Salón México. The work was inspired by Copland's first trip to Mexico in 1932, where he visited a local dance hall. Touched by the cultural authenticity and spirit of the Mexican people, Copland decided to compose a piece titled after this venue. The music incorporates melodies derived from two collections of Mexican folk music.

Ticket Prices and Shuttle Bus Services

Single tickets include five price levels in Reynolds Hall:

PT Box = $109, A Seating = $105, B Seating = $70, C Seating = $50 and D Seating = $30

Tickets can be purchased online through lvphil.org or The Smith Center Box Office at 702.749.2000. The Las Vegas Philharmonic will offer a shuttle bus service to the concert from the Anthem Center at Independence Center in Henderson and the Starbright Theater in Summerlin. A roundtrip bus ticket costs $20 per concert and can be purchased in conjunction with the patron's concert tickets through the box office or online.