Concert, celebration give voice to a world in harmony.Byline: Fred Crafts The Register-Guard If Diane Retallack could teach the world to sing, she would have it singing songs from all the nations, flowing one to another. The occasion would be much like the ``World of Song'' concert she has scheduled for next weekend. In it, Retallack will have her Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble singing songs, in the original languages, from Africa, China, Latvia, Sweden, Romania, Russia, Egypt, England, Israel, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, Canada and the United States The United States and Canada share a unique legal relationship. U.S. law looks northward with a mixture of optimism and cooperation, viewing Canada as an integral part of U.S. economic and environmental policy. . "The world situation caused me to want to create a world of song," Retallack says, reflecting on various hot spots hot spots acute moist dermatitis. around the globe. "I just felt very strongly that we needed to have many cultures together in harmony, as opposed to discord." "I feel the heaviness of the suffering around the world," she says, pointing particularly to anguish caused by the war in Iraq and the Sept. 11 attack in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . "We are one people. We are one planet. When you see that photo of the Earth from space, you see that we are all contained here and all of our differences are really beautiful. The different sounds that each country makes, and the way that they create music, is just beautiful. "I wanted all of those sounds together in one place. I wanted each country singing its own song of hope or love. We all have the same emotions. We all want peace and joy for our loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl and our families. I wanted to send these harmonies out into the universe." As a result, Retallack has created an event that transcends being a mere concert, bringing together not only songs but also musicians, dialect coaches, dance instructors and food vendors from many nations. Besides her 30-voice elite choir, accompanied by pianist Barbara Baird, the concert will feature ethnic music by the Eastern European folk orchestra Balladina and the Latin American folk ensemble Lo Nuestro Lo Nuestro is an awards show honoring the best of Latin music, presented by television network Univision. The awards began in 1989. Notable recipients include Gloria Estefan, Shakira, Selena, Celia Cruz and Juanes. , plus belly dancing by choir member Grace Llewellyn (who dances under the name Inana). ``I wanted people to come to a concert where lots of different cultures are represented ... where instead of ugliness, there is beauty,'' Retallack says, recalling how struck she was by attending a concert in Russia in 1984 by the Choir of the Ministry of Culture in Moscow. "I absolutely fell in love with the Russian literature Russian literature, literary works mainly produced in the historic area of Russia, written in its earliest days in Church Slavonic and after the 17th cent. in the Russian language. that they did, and I have been wanting to do that since then. This program started there," Retallack says. The program includes four Russian songs: "Elegy elegy, in Greek and Roman poetry, a poem written in elegiac verse (i.e., couplets consisting of a hexameter line followed by a pentameter line). The form dates back to 7th cent. B.C. in Greece and poets such as Archilochus, Mimnermus, and Tytraeus. ," "Behold, Shadows Have Fallen," "Evening Poem" and "Kalinka." But that's not where the program begins. The first half, devoted to music from what Retallack calls "the other hemisphere," will start with the Zimbabwe greeting "Sorida," followed by songs from China (``Flower Drum The Flower Drum is a notable multi-award winning Chinese cuisine restaurant in Sydney, Australia. It has reached the Restaurant (magazine) Top 50 several times, ranking it as one of the world's finest restaurants. Song,'' ``Magnificent Horses''), Latvia (``Kas Tie Tadi''), Sweden (``Agnus Dei''), Romania (``Suita scurta,'' ``Doina de oras,'' ``Sarba pe scaun''), Egypt/England (``Kyrie'' from David Fanshawe's "African Sanctus," combining an Islamic chant with the Christian Kyrie), Israel (``Hatkivah,'' ``Have Netzy B'Machol'') and the Russian songs. In addition, Balladina will play the instrumentals "Kanjet Me Mamo," "Ranila E Hubava Grozdana" and "Kjusten Dilska Ruchenitsa," and Inana will do some spirited belly dancing. The songs after intermission will come from closer to home. The United States is represented by the requiem "Lux Aeterna Lux Aeterna can refer to the following:
Lo Nuestro will join the choir for songs from Peru (``Lineas de Nasca''), Venezulea (``Salseo,'' ``Amalia Rosa''), Argentina (``Te Quiero''), Mexico (``Cascabel'') and Cuba (``Hay Quien Presisa,'' ``Cuarta de Tula''). The program will close with two songs from Canada, the folksong ``J'entends le Moulin moulin (m  lăN`): see pothole. (I Hear the Millwheel)'' and the
contemporary song "We Rise Again," whose lyrics "We rise
again in the faces of our children / We rise again in the voices of our
song" strike Retallack as the perfect sentiment on which to end the
concert.
Both concerts will include an elaborate dinner-hour event in Studio One. Instructors will teach ethnic dancing, Balladina and Lo Nuestro will sing, and ethnic food will be sold by vendors such as Soriah Mediterranean Cafe, Taste of India, Carry-on-Q Barbecued Ribs and Nachos Mexican restaurant. The fiesta will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, before the evening concert, and around 4:30 p.m. on April 18, just after the two-hour afternoon concert. The event is free; the food is not. Thinking back over what she has created, Retallack says, "I wanted to involve the community in a collaborative effort that brings all of these different perspectives together. We'll have an amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. smorgasbord of different experiences." Fred Crafts can be reached at 338-2575 or fcrafts@guardnet .com. CONCERT PREVIEW A World of Song What: Classical and folk music folk music: see folk song. folk music Music held to be typical of a nation or ethnic group, known to all segments of its society, and preserved usually by oral tradition. Knowledge of the history and development of folk music is largely conjectural. from many nations, sung by Diane Retallack's Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. April 18 Where: Hult Center's Soreng Theatre, Seventh Avenue and Willamette Street How much: $14 to $26, through the Hult Center box office (682-5000) Free event: Folk dance folk dance, primitive, tribal, or ethnic form of the dance, sometimes the survival of some ancient ceremony or festival. The term is used also to include characteristic national dances, country dances, and figure dances in costume to folk tunes. festivities fes·tiv·i·ty n. pl. fes·tiv·i·ties 1. A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival. 2. The pleasure, joy, and gaiety of a festival or celebration. 3. , including instruction and live music by Balladina and Lo Nuestro and vendors selling food, at 6 p.m. Saturday and after the April 18 concert, in the Hult Center's Studio One CAPTION(S): Singers from the Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble will perform folk music from around the world during two concerts next weekend. The events also will feature food and dancing. |
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