On the Verge

SOLI opens its 24th season with works by American composers John Williams, Sebastian Currier, Robert Xavier Rodríguez, Daniel Schnyder, and George Tsontakis. This program was tailored to fit the dynamism of the ensemble’s new home at Jazz TX, San Antonio’s newest and most versatile hot spot for live music, located in the historic Pearl Brewery.

SOLI is excited to be part of their diverse lineup, highlighting the music and music makers of South Texas. Composer John Williams’ Air and Simple Gifts, written for the first inauguration ceremony of President Barack Obama, is based on the familiar nineteenth century Shaker Hymn Simple Gifts, by Joseph Brackett. The Hymn is famous for its appearance in the Appalachian Spring by American composer Aaron Copland, President Obama’s favorite classical composer. It is the idea of being on the verge of some extremity or another that becomes the basis of Sebastian Currier’s fast-paced and intricate Verge. Robert Xavier Rodríguez’ lyrical, richly coloristic and wonderfully tender work Lull-A-Bear from Ursa (Latin for “bear”), depicts a bear cub’s first winter and hibernation (originally titled, Winter–a “Bear-ceuse”). Saxophonist/Composer Daniel Schnyder’s trio for clarinet, cello, and piano A Friday Night in August, is inspired by jazz and jazz idioms, perfectly crafted for the “classical” setting. George Tsontakis’ Eclipse, a highly dramatic multi-movement work, perfectly displays the composer’s eclectic style, which incorporates the currents of early modernism, post-romanticism, impressionism, and expressionism to create a language of his own.