La Virgen de la Macarena
Monterede Arr. Rafael Méndez

Orch. S.V. Burns

Tango di Tango
Robert X. Rodriguez

Frida: The Story of Frida Kahlo
Robert X. Rodriguez
Concert Suite
Book by Hilary Blecher
Lyrics and Monologue by
Migdalia Cruz

Alba Quezada, Frida

Projected images from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection
Frida costume generously provided by the Mexican Folkloric Dance Co. of Chicago. Special thanks to Jose Luis Ovalle and Henry A. Roa.

Fulcrum Point Ensemble
Dileep Gangolli, clarinet/saxophone
Stephen Burns, trumpet/flugelhorn/conductor
Jeff Handley, percussion
Stas Venglevski, accordion
Lisa Kaplan, piano
Michele Lekas, violin
Mark Lekas, cello
Marc Hogan, bass

Please join us on November 6, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. at the Field Museum for a Free Family Concert of music, illustration and literature in celebration of Caldecott Award winning authors Eric Rohmann and David Wiesner featuring musical world premiers by Bruce Adolphe and David Stock.

Notes:

“They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn’t. I never painted dreams. I painted my reality.” –Frida Kahlo

Very few in history have come to embody the identity of a nation the way Frida Kahlo has come to personify Mexico, a land of beauty legend, mystery, conquest, and struggle. Her art reflected not only her personal trials as a woman, artist, and physically challenged individual, but also resonated with the rich colors, fantastic imagery, and powerful simplicity of Mexico’s indigenous culture. This program celebrates this volatile intersection of the folk and classical arts bringing together the influences of folk, jazz, mariachi, and classical music with the world of an icon considered to be the 20th Century’s greatest self-portrait artist.

The first two musical works offer a gateway into Mexican music and culture featuring a vibrant Mariachi march and a sultry tango. “La Virgen de la Macarena” was made famous by the legendary Mexican trumpet virtuoso Rafael Méndez. Born into a musical family in Michoacán, Mexico Mendez performed with the Rudy Vallee Orchestra, MGM Studio Orchestra, and recorded dozens or solo recordings in addition to numerous film sound tracks earning him the title as “The World’s Greatest Trumpeter.” “La Virgen” alternates the traditional march of the bullfighter with brilliant virtuoso cadenzas.

Tango di Tango is a dramatically passionate trio arranged from material in Robert Rodriguez’ chamber opera “Tango.” The opera for tenor and chamber ensemble exposes the critical responses and hypocrisy of the Catholic Church, social and governmental agencies, as well as the Board of Education of the early part of the 20th Century when this seductive dance took the world by storm.

The tango perfectly exemplifies the steamy, twisted relationship between Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera—a love affair full of intense heat, kinship and betrayal. Her self-portraits and journals on which this opera is based offer a two-way mirror revealing Frida’s world; the world of exquisite beauty and simplicity imbued with an inner turmoil and battle that search to discover the meaning of suffering and life.
Music and art-- allegory and symbol—essential vehicles on this journey.

This concert suite from the opera Frida: The Story of Frida Kahlo, is a rich tapestry of Mexican artistic and folk culture. The story follows the life of painter and national icon Frida Kahlo from her tomboy youth, bouts with polio, a near fatal accident, and artistic developments through a tempestuous marriage with Diego Rivera, affairs with both men and women, concluding with her final illness, delirium and death.

Originally a two act opera with libretto by Hilary Blecher and Migdalia Cruz, Frida, the concert suite, is both a snapshot of the artist’s turbulent and tormented life and a musical distillation of neo-romanticism, surrealism, mariachi, folk, and classical music. Social commentaries and inner ruminations are interspersed with plaintive songs, dances and marches to weave a tapestry comprising her personal life, artistic vision, and allusions to her political activities (she was interrogated in the murder of Leon Trotsky, with whom she had had a brief affair.)  Waltzes, songs and pasa dobles are peppered with fantastic allusions to the Internationál and atmospheric improvisations creating a dramatic canvas of story and symbolism. The radiant conclusion illustrates the last entry in Frida Kahlo’s diary:

'I hope the end is joyful - and I hope never to come back - Frida.'
-- Stephen Burns

Images from the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection

Frida Kahlo- Self-portrait with Red and Gold Dress
Elena Clementi- Objects with Photo of Spanish Porch
Carlos Orozco Romero- Protest
Frida Kahlo- Self-portrait with Monkeys
Jesús Reyes Ferreira- Untitled
Frida Kahlo- The Bride Who Became Frightened When She Saw Life Opened
Miguel Corvarrubias- Portrait of Diego Rivera
Frida Kahlo- Portrait of Diego Rivera
Gabriel Figueroa- Figure, from the movie “The Fugitive”
Frida Kahlo- Diego on My Mind
Manuel Alvarez Bravo- The Instruments
Diego Rivera- The Last Hour
Agustin Lazo- Bank Robbery
Frida Kahlo- Self-portrait with Bed
Diego Rivera- Calla Lily Vendor
Frida Kahlo- Self-portrait with Braid
Manuel Alvarez Bravo- Mattress
Manuel Alvarez Bravo- Forbidden Fruit
Lola Alvarez Bravo- The Dream of the Drowned
Frida Kahlo- Drawing with Foot
Gabriel Figueroa- The Eyes of Maria, from the movie “Woman in Love”

Angel Zárraga- Untitled
Rufino Tamayo- Untitled
Jesús Reyes Ferreira- The Goodbye
José Clemente Orozco- Female Nude
Frida Kahlo- Self-portrait with Red and Gold Dress
David Álfaro Siqueiros- Head of a Woman
David Álfaro Siqueiros- Woman with Rebozo
Frida Kahlo- Karma 1
Diego Rivera- Untitled
Frida Kahlo- Karma
Rufino Tamayo- Untitled
Frida Kahlo- The Love Embrace of the Universe

Bios
Fulcrum Point New Music Project has built its reputation on boldly straddling the barriers between classical and world music. Established as Ensemble in Residence with Performing Arts Chicago from 1998-2003 the Fulcrum Point New Music Project’s primary mission is to present contemporary music in performances that explore the marriage of contemporary, classical music and popular culture to attract new audiences to classical music.   Programs include modern compositions inspired by folk, rock, jazz, blues, Latin, and world music, commissioned works, and contemporary arrangements of traditional pieces by composers from around the world.  In a quest to redefine the concert experience, Fulcrum Point performances often incorporate elements of dance, film, literature, cuisine, and the visual arts.  The concerts are purposely designed to encourage audiences of diversity to make cross-cultural connections and, thereby, gain greater insight into the world today.

Stephen Burns, trumpet, is Director of Fulcrum Point New Music Project. Winner of the Young Concert Artists Auditions, NEA Recitalist Grant, and Maurice André Competition, he has performed internationally as soloist appearing at the White House, on NBC's "Today Show" and "All Things Considered." Former professor at Indiana University Burns is now a guest lecturer teaching in Florence with Amici della Musica.

Alba Quezada

Robert X. Rodríguez
 Robert Xavier Rodríguez was born on 28 June 1946 in San Antonio, Texas, where he received his earliest training in piano and harmony. Subsequent musical education included study in composition with Hunter Johnson, Halsey Stevens, Jacob Druckman, and Nadia Boulanger. He gained international recognition in 1971 when awarded the Prix de Composition Musicale Prince Pierre de Monaco by Prince Rainier and Princess Grace at the Palais Princier in Monte Carlo. Other honors include the Prix Lili Boulanger, a Guggenheim Fellowship, four National Endowment for the Arts grants, and the Goddard Lieberson Award from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Rodríguez' music embraces all genres and often combines Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque techniques with ethnic and contemporary materials. He has had particular success with his seven operas and both “Frida” and “Tango” are available on the CRI compact disc label