O.C.'s Pacific Symphony presents GERSHWIN & ALL THAT JAZZ, 3/18-3/20

Press Release:

It's right off the spool-when Pacific Symphony dissasembles the traditional concert format to deliver an energetic and mesmerizing third "Music Unwound" performance: "Gershwin and All That Jazz." Led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, this special concert features French Canadian pianist Lefèvre and one of America's leading bass singers, Kevin Deas, performing a slate of American music to reveal the profound influence of jazz on composers throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Rather than following a traditional format, this concert is being presented in a provocative new way, featuring a "collage" of music-short vignettes performed in a fluid stream-without the interruption of any breaks other than two intermissions. "Gershwin and All That Jazz" takes place Thursday-Saturday, March 18-20, at 8 p.m., in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

The program ranges from "Preludes, Fugues and Riffs" by legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, with Principal Clarinetist Benjamin Lulich; and the bombastic "Concerto in F" by perennial favorite George Gershwin; to Dmitri Shostakovitch's "Dance 1" from his Jazz Suite No.2 and Frank Ticheli's "Blue Shades." Plus, Los Angeles musician Charles Owens is the saxophone soloist for "King Solomon" from Three Black Kings, a lesser-known concert work by jazz trumpeter Duke Ellington, with traditional spirituals sung by Deas, as well as two original jazz compositions by Lefèvre: "Philip Black Blue" and "Cool Cole."

"This concert has been put together with two ideas in mind," says Maestro St.Clair. "The first is that it is a collage of music with jazz as its theme. Collage in my mind means continually flowing music, practically non-stop, for about 22-25 minutes. Unlike the other two 'Music Unwound' programs, there will be almost no talking-just a stream of music juxtaposed in extreme contrast. An example would be going from the ending of Bernstein's 'Riffs,' without pause, to a single voice (Kevin Deas) singing a spiritual in a lone pool of light in another part of the hall. This is striking and makes quite the impression."

The second aspect to this program, St.Clair explains, is that it is modeled after a Boston Pops concert format (a concert with two intermissions). "During my tenure as assistant conductor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, I conducted many pops concerts-and I found the format of having two intermissions with power-packed music for brief periods of time was very intense and created an atmosphere of excitement, without let-down. So, we have the collage idea wrapped in the format of a BSO pops concert. It should be quite the musical ride. What better way to debut this type of concert-going experience than with the upbeat and soulful music of jazz?'

"Music Unwound," generously underwritten by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, was initiated at the start of the 2009-10 season to bring innovative new formats and thematic programming to the concert experience. The Symphony approaches each performance by creating a contextual backdrop for the music, in an attempt to give the music deeper meaning. "Gershwin and All That Jazz" is the third of three diverse concerts within the series this season-which have included significant multimedia use, extra-musical activities and customized experiences. They have allowed the Symphony to create for the audience a greater understanding of the time, place, aesthetics and philosophical background in which a given musical work is created.

The first "Music Unwound" concert took place in October 2009 and featured Richard Strauss's "Alpine" Symphony-a musical and visual journey through the Bavarian Alps complemented by the vivid hues of German photochoreographer Tobias Melle's stunning footage projected above the stage. The second, "A Tchaikovsky Portrait: Child of Glass," explored the tortured composer through a multimedia presentation including live theater, film, photographs and a rare recording to better understand his passions and struggles in order to reach a deeper understanding of his extraordinary music.

"Gershwin and All That Jazz" features pianist and composer Lefèvre -acclaimed as a "hero" by the Los Angeles Times, a "spectacular pianist" by Fanfare magazine, a "smashing performer" by the Washington Post, an "artistic winner" by Music Week, London, a "genial talent" The Gazette, and as "the 10 most agile fingers to have emerged from Quebec in recent years…" by the Toronto Star. Lefèvre has a busy international career, touring repeatedly world-wide, performing in prestigious venues, in recital and with international orchestras and leading conductors. In 2010, he was chosen "Personality of the Year 2009" at the Excellence Gala of La Presse and Radio-Canada, in the Arts, Literature and Entertainment Category.

The concert's distinguished baritone, Deas, is one of America's most acclaimed bass singers, perhaps most known for his signature portrayal of the title role in "Porgy and Bess," having sung it with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, National Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco, Atlanta, San Diego, Utah, Houston, Baltimore and Montreal symphonies and the Ravinia and Saratoga festivals-as well as with Pacific Symphony both during its 2005-06 season and on tour in Europe in March 2006.

Pacific Symphony's Classical Series performances are made possible by the Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation, with additional support from the Symphony's official airline, American Airlines; official hotel, The Westin South Coast Plaza; official classical music station, KUSC; and official television station, KOCE-TV.

One more thing! On Sunday, March 21, at 3 p.m., the next Classical Connections concert, led by St.Clair, focuses on Gershwin's Concerto in F and features pianist Lefevre. Perhaps the first "crossover" composer, George Gershwin wrote music heavily influenced by his Tin Pan Alley roots. His Piano Concerto has been criticized by some as lacking structure, while being praised by others for freshness and innovation. The audience is invited to decide for themselves as St.Clair and the orchestra examine this work.

Tickets to GERSHWIN AND ALL THAT JAZZ are $25-$105; for more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.pacificsymphony.org.

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