Buffalo Chamber Players Support the Olmsted Parks!

The Buffalo Chamber Players will be pledging 20% of ticket sales from their June 8th concert, "Dead Elvis and other American masterworks," to the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.  Please read below for additional information on the Buffalo Chamber Players and their June 8th Concert!

BUFFALO CHAMBER PLAYERS PRESENT “DEAD ELVIS”: AN ALL-AMERICAN PROGRAM

Buffalo, NY – On Wednesday, June 8, 2011, special guest BPO associate conductor Matthew Kraemer will lead the Buffalo Chamber Players as they conclude their 2010-2011 concert season. The innovative program explores the unique and diverse canon of American music, featuring works by Michael Daugherty, George Rochberg and Aaron Copland. 20% of ticket sales from the concert will benefit the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.

“Dead Elvis” will open the program. Written by Grammy award-winner Michael Daugherty, the piece is purposely scored for the same instrumentation as Stravinsky’s “The Soldier’s Tale.”  The Faustian scenario, in which a soldier sells his violin and soul to the devil, is recast around the iconic American performer. Playing the role of Elvis will be bassoonist Glenn Einschlag—dressed in the composer-requested 1970s Las Vegas Elvis jumpsuit.

Written in 1967, George Rochberg’s “Music for the Magic Theater” is a powerful work highlighting the composer’s break from serialism,  the dominant art-music movement of the time. Upon the death of his teenage son in 1964, Rochberg (1918-2005) abandoned serialism, concluding that it "was empty of expressive emotion and ... inadequate to express [his] grief.”

The title of the works refers to Herman Hesse’s novel “Steppenwolf.” In the novel, the Magic Theater is a place where past and present coexist. The piece quotes heavily from a variety of composers, including Beethoven, Miles Davis, Mahler, Mozart and Varèse. The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra premiered an orchestrated version of the work in 1969, under the baton of Melvin Strauss.

The final piece in the program will be the quintessential American composer Aaron Copland’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Appalachian Spring.” Commissioned by choreographer and dancer Martha Graham in 1944, it quickly became an audience favorite. Often heard in its orchestrated version, the Chamber Players will present the work in its original chamber version for 12 players.

The Buffalo Chamber Players is a critically acclaimed ensemble presenting innovative chamber music programs performed by the region’s finest musicians. Formed in 2007 by BPO violist Janz Castelo, the Players’ mission is to challenge and redefine the public’s perception of chamber music and to promote the city of Buffalo as an inspiring place to live, work and play.

The concert takes place at Buffalo Seminary, 205 Bidwell Parkway at 7:30 PM, and is open to the public. Tickets are $15/$5 for students, and available at buffalochamberplayers.org and at the door.

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WHAT: “Dead Elvis”: All-American Music

WHO: Buffalo Chamber Players

WHEN: Wednesday, June 8, 2011, 7:30 PM

WHERE: Buffalo Seminary, 205 Bidwell Parkway

TIX: $15/$5 students, at buffalochamberplayers.org and at the door

INFO: buffalochamberplayers.org