Jackson Symphony Chamber Concert May 10, 2009

The final concert in the Jackson Symphony Orchestra’s 2008-2009 Chamber Music Series promises to be an unusual musical experience. At a typical chamber concert, it’s rare to hear a piece that was made famous by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It’s even rarer to find a contemporary “mash-up” on the program that incorporates James Bond Themes with one of David Bowie’s popular heavy-metal releases of the 1970s, The Man Who Sold the World.

This concert will feature Brad Richter on guitar and Viktor Uzur on cello, performing as the Richter Uzur Duo. Their program, which has an international flavor, includes original compositions such as Balkanika and Facing East Circles, plus their own arrangement of Hungarian Béla Bartók’s Six Romanian Folk Songs and Spanish composer Manuel de Falla’s Nana.

Richter and Uzur will perform three “mash-ups” – sometimes called “sound collages” or “remixes” – in which a new composition is created by combining the rhythm and vocal tracks of more than one song. Besides the work using David Bowie and James Bond themes, Richter and Uzur will present an arrangement of the often-recorded, exotic Misirlou (The Egyptian) combined with Flight of the Bumblebee, by Russian composer Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. The third “mash-up” on the program is a blending of Superstition, Leyenda and Jungle Boogie using themes from Stevie Wonder, Isaac Albeniz, and Kool and the Gang.

Richter and Uzur will conclude the program with Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir, a song that the band members consider to be their best musical achievement, and many critics agree. It was conceived while they were driving through the Sahara Desert in a remote area of Morocco (although the title Kashmir comes from a region of India). This piece includes distinctive sounds reminiscent of classical Moroccan, Indian and Middle Eastern music.

Chamber concert sponsored by Consumers Energy. Light refreshments served afterward so guests can chat with Viktur and Brad.