In Tuesday’s (11/1) Daily Telegram (Adrian, Michigan), Arlene Bachanov writes, “In his pre-concert talk Sunday, Adrian Symphony Music Director John Thomas Dodson characterized the works on the upcoming program as being snapshots of the American experience. That’s actually a really good way to look at what Sunday’s concert, aptly titled ‘American Landscapes,’ represented. There was a ‘snapshot’ of the American interest in sports, John Williams’ 1996 Olympics music ‘Summon the Heroes.’ A ‘picture’ honoring the American military, Robert Jager’s homage to the Marines titled ‘Esprit de Corps.’ And two ‘photos’ of different aspects of the Civil War. One, Morton Gould’s ‘American Salute,’ depicts the glory of the returned hero represented in ‘When Johnny Comes Marching Home,’ which Gould used as the framework of his piece. The other, Jay Ungar’s ‘Ashokan Farewell,’ which was used to great effect by Ken Burns in ‘The Civil War,’ evokes a sense of needed healing and redemption. And then there were the images of urban street life, which Leonard Bernstein captured so well in ‘West Side Story,’ and of the American West, which no one could bring to life more vividly than Aaron Copland did in works like the one that wrapped up Sunday’s program, the Four Dance Episodes from ‘Rodeo.’ ”
Posted November 2, 2011
