LA JOLLA, California — A buffalo hide drum, a whistle fashioned from an eagle’s wing, a five hole flute, and a rattle with corn kernels were some of the Native American indigenous instruments heard with the La Jolla Symphony in its May 6 and 7 concerts at Mandeville Auditorium.
The native instruments were expertly played by Leon Joseph Littlebird, soloist in the 2021 Brenda and Steven Schick Commission, When Echoes Speak. Littlebird also served as narrator and co-composer of the work, along with Max Wolpert.
This unusual piece opened with a soft wash of orchestral sound and the soloist, playing the bone whistle, entered from the wings.The narration spoke about a mother’s lullaby as music’s most ancient source and that music was the fifth element of human survival. Although the themes were original with Littlebird, their pentatonic nature hearkened back to his Navajo ancestry. Wolpert, who developed the themes, gave the work structure and depth. Littlebird’s artistry, particularly on the native flute, and his resonant, deep voice enhanced the performance of this unique work.
Beginning both halves of the program were compositions by the British-born composer, Ann Clyne, “Color Field” and “Within Her Arms.” Color Field was divided into three movements, Yellow, Red, and Orange. One of the inspirations of the work was a Mark Rothko painting, Orange, Red, Yellow, featuring red and yellow framing a massive swash of vibrant orange. Clyne was also influenced by synesthesia, the condition where colors evoke different pitches or different pitches evoke colors.
Yellow starts with the sounds of hazy warmth, incorporating a traditional Serbian melody, beginning with a slow bass line, later taken up by the strings and winds. Clyne scores this in the key of D. Red, in contrast, has incisive percussive patterns and rapidly ascending scales. It is in the key of C. The final movement, Orange, opens with bassoons, gong, flutes and celeste. When the oboe enters, it is like the dawn of an orange sun. This movement is in the key of G. Clyne successfully translates these three vibrant colors into music.
Within Her Arms was dedicated to Clyne’s late mother. It is reminiscent of the mood cast by Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings.” The program notes quote a poem by Thick Nhat Hanh, whose opening lines are:
Earth will keep you tight within her arms dear one
So that tomorrow you will be transformed into flowers
Originally scored for 15 strings, it was played by the La Jolla Orchestra’s entire string section. They performed with sensitive phrasing and delicate nuances.
The final work on the program was Aaron Copland’s “Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo.” It was a spirited performance, opening with “Buckaroo Holiday.” In an explosion of syncopated brilliance, the asymmetrical rhythms and rapid pacing were expertly led by guest conductor Sameer Patel. “Corral Nocturne” served as a relaxing contrast. “Saturday Night Waltz,” with strings playing open strings at the beginning, as if they were tuning up, sequenced into the main melody, derived from the cowboy song, “Goodby Old Paint.” The final movement, “Hoe-Down,” was a rousing square dance. Although this music was written in 1942, over 80 years ago, it continues to sound fresh and engaging.