Picosa to perform music from Spain, Latin America
Picosa chamber ensemble plans to usher in the summer with a concert featuring the music of composers from Spain and Latin America.
The evening begins at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 20, at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st St., Oak Brook.
Woven throughout the concert are movements of "Quintet" for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano written by Panamanian composer Roque Cordero. The four-movement work is a symphony in miniature, balancing Panamanian folk elements with contemporary style and spotlighting each instrument of the quintet.
Smaller works serve as interludes between movements of Cordero's work. Jazz-influenced "Lecuonerias" for solo clarinet from Cuban-born American composer Paquito D'Rivera's "The Cape Cod Files" brings levity to the first half, followed by Gabriela Lena Frank's "Canto de Harawi: Amadeoso" for flute, clarinet, and piano. Frank is quickly becoming known for her music that captures Peruvian folk elements in concert works.
"'Canto de Harawi: Amadeoso' is a short tone poem that attempts to portray my childhood dream where I walk hand-in-hand with Mozart, passing through such unlikely scenes as my old backyard garden, a deserted playground, and an ominous cavern that frightened me during a family camping trip," Frank said.
Spanish composer Joaquin Turina's "Circulo, Opus 91" for violin, cello, and piano shows the influence of flamenco as well as representing the cyclical passing of time throughout the day. The piece balances two dance-inspired pieces by Argentine composers Astor Piazzolla and Alberto Ginastera. Piazzolla's "Histoire du Tango" for flute and piano is a study in styles of the tango, and Ginastera's "Duo" for flute and clarinet swirls playfully as two dance partners on stage.
As part of Picosa's Interludes Chamber Ensembles program, the Naperville Youth Symphony's Brass Choir directed by Mark Ponzo will perform at 6:40 p.m.
Visual artist Lewis Achenbach will live paint the concert and his works will be for sale afterward during the Meet the Musicians Gourmet Dessert Reception.
Tickets, available at PicosaMusic.com, are $25 for adults, $23 for seniors and $10 for college students. High school students and younger are free, and accompanying parents receive a discounted ticket of $10.
Picosa is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations support Picosa operations including its commitment to bring music to underserved communities through a collaboration with Hesed House and by nurturing rising amateur and young musicians through the Interludes Chamber Ensembles program.