In Friday’s (11/15) Houston Press, Marco Torres writes, “Houston’s Anti-Defamation League and the Houston Symphony are celebrating their respective 100-year anniversaries, and they have invited [Bernard] Freeman, a.k.a. Bun B, to be a special guest performer. This will be the first time the orchestra has incorporated a hip-hop artist into a performance. Bridging the symphony with ‘the [hip-hop] culture,’ as Bun calls it, is a major step toward acceptance, both for him personally and that culture.… Houston Symphony associate conductor Robert Franz is behind the podium tonight, waving his baton as the orchestra begins the night’s first selection, ‘Fanfare for the Common Man.’ … The sound resonates throughout the venue in an Olympic fashion, setting a regal mood in a room full of politicians, humanitarians, and religious leaders.” Works included John Williams’ “Theme from Schindler’s List,” Copland’s Lincoln Portrait, and Bernstein’s West Side Story overture. “Finally, the main attraction of the evening: ‘Where Is the Love?’ by The Black Eyed Peas (and Justin Timberlake), as performed by Bun B and the Lamar High School Choir.… The mixture of rap with a youth choir and the elegance of the symphony made this production so very impressive, it resembled a musical dream turned into reality.” The article includes video and a photo gallery.
Posted November 18, 2013
Photo of Bernard Freeman and Houston Symphony by Marco Torres
