Composer Shawn Okpebholo (from the Gallery Web page on his Web site)
As was reported a little over a month ago, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra (SFCO) will give its first MainStage concert in San Francisco at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church next month on Friday, October 18, beginning at 7:30 p.m. That announcement cited the world premiere performance of “Fractured Water” by Shawn Okpebholo without any further information. That information is now available as follows:
Okpebholo was commissioned to write “Fractured Water” by SFCO with funding support from the National Endowment for the Arts and in collaboration with the Emerging Black Composers Project. As a Chicago resident, the water Okpebholo had in mind was the Chicago River. This river had accumulated pollution and waste, but its was restored as a life-source for both people and animals. These days we are well aware of the cleansing of natural resources, but the restoration of the Chicago River took place in 1887!
“Fractured Water” was composed to reflect on the natural changes in the river’s flow. Thus, when that flow is reversed, the theme depicting the river captures this through a retrograde version of that theme. The score also cites the spiritual “Down in the River to Pray.” It is also worth noting that Okpebholo chose to depict the river with a generous share of percussion instruments, which include bass drum, crotales, glockenspiel, two large water bowls, and xylophone.
As was already announced, “Fractured Water” will be preceded by the last of the Opus 6 concerti grossi by George Frideric Handel and followed by Ludwig van Beethoven’s first, his Opus 21 in C major.
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