As in art, Can Latinos and Anglos, Spanish and English co-exist in Arizona?
by Mayra Nieves, VP Programming
New Radio Venture (KNUV-1190AM Phoenix, Arizona & KNRV-1150AM Denver, Colorado)
The most beautiful answer to this conundrum was proven possible at the opening night of the opera: "Guadalupe, Our Lady of the Roses," by James DeMars from the University of ASU. Opening night was on Friday, May 16th at the St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Mesa, with the performance of the renown mezzo- soprano Isola Jones, tenor Robert Breault, Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai, Mexican pre-Columbian music performer Xavier Quijas Yxaytl and African American percussionist Mark Sunkett. This opera presents a magnificent merge of classical voices and instruments, Native and Messo-American flutes and percussion, choral arrangements and African percussion, creating a sublime experience.
Interwoven in Spanish, English and Aztec voices, every note, every tone collaborated to give us one message: Yes, we can live together in Arizona and in any other part of the world if a great number of us embraces our own culture and the culture of the other; if we open our heart to the beauty in each one of our voices; if we allow us to live the experience; and if, as the composer DeMars says, "We examine the fears of leaving one's traditional understanding of the fundamental qualities of life."
The second and last performance will be tonite at 7:30pm.
More info at www.guadalupeopera.com
Guadalupe - opera or oratorio?
by Dimitri Drobatschewsky
Renaissance (Issue No. 86: July-August 2008) - Bulletin of the Art Renaissance Initiative (Phoenix, Arizona)
The world premiere of James DeMars’ new opera, Guadalupe,Our Lady of the Roses, took place on May 16 and 17 at the small sanctuary of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Mesa. The venue’s size (it seats about 200)was in marked contrast with the importance of the event: not only are there not too many musical milestones by local composers, but the impact that the musical rendition of the legend of the Virgin of Guadalupe left at the opening performances was major. The fact that these performances were presented in Mesa bodes well for the cultural aspirations of this rapidly evolving East Valley community.
Whether this remarkable work can be called an opera or some other art form, such as an oratorio, is open for discussion. The performances were not staged but were presented in concert form, i.e. the soloists were placed midway in the orchestra and sat on chairs when they were not singing. The orchestra was mostly youthful (primarily music students) and some exotic instruments were visible (and audible) besides the usual strings and a few winds. In musically blending at least two different cultural traditions, composer DeMars avoided one of the frequent pitfalls of original contemporary music: that of producing a palette of novel sounds, overwhelming in their decibels but deadly to the conventional musical beauty of familiar orchestrations.
Because the action in this opus is minimal – the libretto tells mostly of religious visions as well as emotions experienced at the unveiling of such visions – conventional operatic staging was not missed. The impact, rather, was achieved through masterful execution of the score that blends the sounds of Native American–Aztec–lore with the more familiar melodic developments of Western music. And the artistry of the excellent vocal soloists, primarily mezzo-soprano Isola Jones and tenor Robert Breault, contributed mightily to the sometimes overwhelming inner tremors experienced in hearing this extremely emotional music.
Both Ms. Jones and Mr. Breault projected powerful fortissimos, notably in the first half of the performance. If one bit of critical comment may be appropriate, I would suggest that when music is constantly performed at such high power, it is difficult to achieve majestic climaxes. Often, strong feelings can be just as convincingly expressed through soft passages, such as the unforgettable aria sung by Ms. Jones at the end of the first act, when she produced a number of bars in a divine pianissimo that will haunt this listener for a long time.
The piece was sung in at least two languages (English and Spanish) with a few Aztec words mixed in. Fortunately, the lights were left on so that following the provided text in the program was possible. The composer, DeMars, also acted as conductor and presided energetically and authoritatively over the proceedings. Besides the already mentioned vocalists, baritone Robert Barefield exhibited a warm although sometimes veiled voice in his arias, and soprano Carole Fitzpatrick contributed self-assured passages that were well-projected and highly pleasing. A smaller role was competently sung by Fr. Jorge Rodriguez Eagar.Not to be overlooked are the contributions of the “exotic” instruments: the didgeridoo (an Australian wind pipe) played by Michael Hester; the Native American flute in the hands of R. Carlos Nakai; and various Aztec flutes and percussion instruments entrusted to Xavier Quijas Yxayotl. Robert Mills, besides preparing the excellent chorus, also performed on the piano, and veteran Mark Sunkett handled familiar and sometimes strange percussion instruments. Co-librettist Robert Doyle supervised a live recording for the Canyon Records label, also alerted the audience that he wanted to produce noise-free and cellular-phone-ringtone-less recording.
