The New Mesquite Weekly is a Famous Wolf Studio Publication - Member of the Free Press Association of Nevada
The Spiritual and Mythical Lands Around Us
Published on March 22, 2017 by Rudy Moertl Re-published on July 12, 2024 by Rudy (Hrothulf) Moertl
On the last day of the full moon during March 2017, a few good friends had the privilege of visiting the newly formed Gold Butte National Monument. Our experiences were memorable beyond all expectations. Enhancements by the beginnings of an anticipated spectacular desert spring bloom; rock formations bathed in moonlight; a flickering firelight and stories shared with a visiting Gold Butte legend contributed to this mythical and spiritual commune with this land.
Memorable moments beg to be shared and I would like to remind everyone that just outside of Mesquite is a place called Nevada. The area surrounding Mesquite in the springtime is enchanting when the desert blooms. The variety of color and intensity of blooms exhibited on desert daisies, roses, various bushes and of course cacti is astonishing. You simply must open your eyes and your heart to the treasures that surround you and be a part of this enchanted land.
Not only does the vegetation display itself it all its glory, the landscape also appears alive with a display of fascinating shapes and colors. This stunning rock garden covers the area and provides a portrait of its geological history, ancient sea beds and violent volcanic upheavals. Ancient sand dunes that evolved into sandstone formations show their varied layers and mineral content in multicolored displays that are constantly changing in form and color from the effects of wind and rain.
These Nevada lands have been occupied by native Americans for millennium.
The Paiutes, Hopi and the Anasazi tribes have roamed throughout the region and recorded a historic presentation of their interactions with others including the spiritual and mythical occupants of these lands. These pictographs or petro glyphs remain as evidence of their presence and of their impressions throughout these lands.
Dragons have long been associated with myths and spirits and these Nevada lands also have a dragon of its very own. The Gila Monster may very well represent a long lost relative of the mythical larger cousins the dragons, at least from the perspective of our spiritual being.
Regardless, the Gila Monster, in step with its dazzling surroundings is a colorful and stunning exemplar of this area.
It is our wish that our descendants will also have the privilege of seeing these unspoiled lands and their unique physical character and thereby also experience the spiritual and mythical senses that these lands arouse and awaken within us.
Concerts In The Barn - From The Olympic Peninsula - August 2023
Published on December 4, 2023 by Rudy (Hrothulf) Moertl
Our trip to escape the oppressing heat in July and August of 2023 seems like ages ago and is now only like "A Midsummer Night's Dream". I want to recount that story of two lovers and lifelong friends who run away to a forest where fairies cause mischief with their magic.
The magic has forever enhanced our humdrum daily lives and will remain a part of pleasant and joyous memories.
One of those memorable encounters was with some lovely, fascinating and talented folks at a beautiful farm and an amazing barn in Quilcene Washington. "Concerts in the Barn" a six-week musical festival that takes place every summer and everyone is invited. We attended one such performance presented by a pianist, violinist and a cellist on August 6. 2023. They called themselves Trio Hava. The Barston sisters, Elisa and Amy have been coming to the barn for a least two years and are joined this year by Paige Molloy on the piano.
On this sunny August Sunday, Trio Hava presented an hour and a half of the most beautiful renditions of the works of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Johannes Brahms, Alasdair Fraser/Natalie Haas and Franz Schubert.
The Players and the Producer Leigh Hearn, and the many volunteers (Krystal and Austin to mention only two) at the Barn add a certain charm and playfulness to the music performances that is unique and in itself unusually amazing. It will be etched in our memories for a long time to come. Here you will find an attempt to refresh those fading memories as time goes by.
After the performance, we had an opportunity to visit with Amy Barston and obtained a few brief comments which are presented here:
Trio Hava has performed multiple times at the Barn and therefore deserves a follow up article with a bit more in depth insights to these talented players and a bit more coverage of the producers of these summer events in the Olympic peninsula. Be sure to watch this space for a special report and more from a magical place where there are "Concerts In The Barn".
The Farm that has a now famous Barn, has a fascinating history from a homestead to the venue for the "Olympic Peninsula Music Festivals" and to its current fame as "Concerts in the Barn". Here to tell the story is Leigh Hearon, co-founder, executive producer of the concerts and farm general manager.
For a more detailed and graphic account of that history click on the barn picture on left side to see more of the story unfold on the "Concert in the Barn" website.
You may also visit and watch most of the 2023 video recorded 2023 "Concerts in the Barn" performances in their entirety. Just click on the picture below":
Celebrating the Cello, Cello players and Cello music with a Festival
Published on September 8, 2023 by Rudy (Hrothulf) Moertl
Our sojourn into the world of the cello music began with trip to escape the oppressing heat in August of 2023. It seems like ages ago and is now only like "A Midsummer Night's Dream". I want to recount the story of two lovers and lifelong friends who run away to a forest where fairies caused mischief with their magic. The magic has forever enhanced our humdrum daily lives and will remain a part of pleasant and joyous memories. But that tale will be told on another day.
We quickly fast-forward to September where we will tell a story that is currently unfolding at the Utah Tech University. Next weekend (September 15th and 16th) Professor Ka-Wai Yu will create, connect and celebrate a gathering of Cello artists by hosting a two-day Cello Festival at the Utah Tech University Eccles Fine Arts Center. The event is open to celloists of all ages, who will celebrate the cello by engaging in cello competitions and performances. The public is invited to three concerts as well as lecture series featuring renowned celloists Horatio Contreras and Dr. Theodore Buchholz. Here are some details of this must-see entertainment. An introduction to the Cello and the organizers of the Cello Festival event is in order. The cello or violoncello is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 and A3. The viola's four strings are each an octave higher. Music for the cello is generally written in the bass clef, with tenor clef, and treble clef used for higher-range passages.
Played by a cellist or violoncellist, it enjoys a large solo repertoire with and without accompaniment, as well as numerous concerti. As a solo instrument, the cello uses its whole range, from bass to soprano, and in chamber music such as string quartets and the orchestra's string section, it often plays the bass part, where it may be reinforced an octave lower by the double basses. Figured bass music of the Baroque era typically assumes a cello, viola da gamba or bassoon as part of the basso continuo group alongside chordal instruments such as organ, harpsichord, lute, or theorbo. Cellos are found in many other ensembles, from modern Chinese orchestras to cello rock bands.
Dr. Ka-Wai Yu who is the organizer, host and sponsor of this Utah Tech event. Dr. Ka-Wai Yu is an Associate Professor of Music at Utah Tech University, where he teaches cello and string chamber music. He previously taught at Eastern Illinois University and Indiana Wesleyan University. In great demand as a clinician, Dr. Yu has given master classes in numerous universities and institution in North America and Asia. . He has also taught in music camps and workshops in Illinois, Georgia and Michigan, as well as in Hong Kong. Dr. Yu is past president of the Utah Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. He co-founded the Cello Society of Southern Urah and directs the annual Cello Festival of Southern Utah. Currently the Principal Cellist of the Southwest Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Yu has performed in Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. He is a vivid chamber musician and is a founding member of the Zion Trio and the period-instrument ensemble Cosmopolitan Baroque. He has appeared in the Aspen Music Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, among others. Presented here is Dr. Yu's interview with the Mesquite Weekly.
We also contacted the featured cello artists, and we enjoyed their candor and insights into the cello performing art in a chat via Zoom sessions. Venezuelan cellist Horacio Contreras. Contreras has gained esteem through a multifaceted career as a concert cellist, chamber musician, pedagogue, and scholar. He has collaborated with prestigious institutions across the Americas and Europe as a concerto soloist, a recitalist, a chamber musician, and a master class clinician. Presented here are his insights and views on music and the cello.
Theodore Buchholz also talked to us via a Zoom session. Critically acclaimed for his "eloquent and expressive artistry," Theodore Buchholz has been lauded as a "virtuosic cellist" with a "warm beautiful sound." He has performed in prominent venues from New York's Lincoln Center to international halls in Tokyo, and in countless venues across the United States. His performances and recordings have aired on classical radio stations around the world. He performs on an exceptional cello made in 1877 by Charles Mennegand. Presented here are views and insights into his artistry. A great weekend awaits us at Utah Tech. Please join the cellists in this Celebration and Festival. Here are some additional insights offered by Dr. Yu for successfully competing in the Cello competition.
Be sure to watch this space for a special report on the events of the Cello Festival and more from a magical place where there are "Concerts In The Barn".
The Zion Trio brings musical art to SUUs Thorley Hall for an evening of fine chamber music
Published on July 3, 2023 by Rudy (Hrothulf) Moertl
On March 10, 2023, the Zion Trio made an appearance at the Thorley Recital Hall on the campus of Southern Utah University (SUU) in Cedar City Utah.
The players have fittingly incorporated the name of our magnificent national park into their own name. The Zion Trio, I suspect, have an affinity with the natural beauty of southwestern Utah and express it passionately with their musical art. The selections of the evening program included piano trio concertos by Antonin Dvorak and Maurice Ravel. The performances were well received and enthusiastically applauded by university students, faculty and community residents. The university frequently provides high-quality entertainment and extents their invitation to all with an appreciation for the performance arts.
The Zion Trio has been bringing major works from the standard repertoire for piano trio to southern Utah for several years. Their performances included works by Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Mendelssohn, Piazzolla, Ravel, Shostakovich, and Paul Schoenfeld. The trio has recently performed Beethoven's Triple Concerto with the Orchestra of Southern Utah and was featured at the Utah American String Teachers Association's Midwinter Workshop.
The violinist is Paul Abegg, who is a Professor of Music at Utah Tech University where he is the Director of String Studies and conducts the University Orchestra.
Dr. Abegg has presented master classes and served as a musical adjudicator throughout the United States. His students have won awards and have been accepted at prestigious music schools and festivals such as Boston Conservatory. Michigan State University, Indiana University, National Orchestral Institute and Brevard Music Center. As a soloist he has performed throughout the United States as well as in Japan, Brazil, France and England. His chamber music experience in addition to the Zion Trio includes studies at Kneisel Hall (ME), the Colson String Ensemble in France among others. He served as a concert master of the Southwest Symphony for five years. Other orchestral experience includes performances with the Lansing, Jackson, Flint, Kalamazoo, Flagstaff, Utah, Ballet West, Phoenix, Spokane and the Malaysia Philharmonic orchestras. In 2007he performed in the Northwest Bach Festival under the direction Gunther Schuller. His participation in orchestra festivals include the Gilmore Piano Competition Orchestra (MI), Pine Mountain Music Festival ((MI), Brevard Music Center (NC), National Orchestral Institute (MD), Great Music West Festival (UT), Bear Lake Music Festival (UT), and the Grand Teton Music Festival Seminar (WY). Dr. Abegg has recorded extensively for film and television scores. He has performed with Celtic Woman, Mannheim Steamroller, Donny Osmond, Peter Cetera, Natalie Cole, and Marvin Hamlisch and classical artists which include Audra McDonald, Leon Fleischer, Marilyn Horne, Peter Serkin, Ellen Zwilich, Fredricka Von Stade, Mark O'Connor, Peter Schickele, Elmer Oliveria, Cathleen Battle, and Gil Shaham.
The cello is played by Dr. Ka-Wai Yu who is a Associate Professor of Music at Utah Tech University, where cello and string chamber music.
He previously taught at Eastern Illinois University and Indiana Wesleyan University. In great demand as a clinician, Dr. Yu has given master classes in numerous universities and institution in North America and Asia. He is the Director of the Castle Rock String Camp. He has also taught in music camps and workshops in Illinois, Georgia and Michigan, as well as in Hong Kong. Dr. Yu is past president of the Utah Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. He co-founded the Cello Society of Southern Urah and directs the annual Cello Festival of Southern Utah. He also serves on the Southern Nevada Symphony Orchestra President's Advisory Council. Currently the Principal Cellist of the Southwest Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Yu has performed in Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States. He is a vivid chamber musician and is a founding member of the Zion Trio and the period-instrument ensemble Cosmopolitan Baroque. He has appeared in the Aspen Music Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, among others. His performances have been broadcast on RTHK and WILL-FM. His transcription of Robert Schumann's Cello Concerto for cell and string quartet has been published by A-R Editions, Inc. Dr. Yu obtained his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where hie studied with cellist Brandon Vamos of the Grammy-winning Pacifica Quartet. He also holds a Master of Music in Cello Performance from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Music with first-class honors from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His major mentors have included Helga Winold, Csaba Onczay, David Starkweather and Ming-Yuen Chueng. He has also studied chamber music with members of the American String Quartet, Tokyo String Quartet, Pacifica Quartet and Parker Quartet.
The Pianist is Dr. Christian Bohnenstengel. Dr. Christian Bohnenstengel feels equally at home in a wide range of musical genres.
He was recently featured as soloist in Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Orchestra of Southern Utah. Christian is a founding member of Southern Utah University's Faculty Jazz Combo Kind of Blue and frequently performs with Jazz ensembles and musicians throughout southern Utah. Praised as "a master of contrasts" (Aalener Nachrichten) and for his ability to "put the audience into a state of sheer awe" (Gmuender Tagespost), Christian's performances have taken him all over the United States, to South America and to Europe. He is a founding member of Southern Utah University's faculty jazz combo Kind of Blue and he frequently perform with various jazz ensembles and combos. Christian has performed on public radio and presented at state, regional, national and international conferences. David DeBoer Canfield (Fanfare Magazine) remarked abput his Albany Records CD Set No Limits recording with clarinettist Dr. Jessica Lindsey that the "piano parts are superbly rendered by Christian Bohnenstengel, whose artistry also greatly impresses me". His latest recordings are Jazz Hands II with the Shawn Owens Project Trio and Southern Utah Jazz Collective. Dr. Bohnenstengel has been the Director of Keyboard Studies at Southern Utah University (SUU) since 2011. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Missouri Western State University. He earned the Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His primary teachers include Jerry Anderson and Mark Clinton, piano, and Quentin Faulkner, harpsichord and organ. Christian founded the MTNA collegiate chapter at SUU, and he served as chair for collegiate programs on the UMTA state board. He also served as secretary for the Southwest Chapter of the College Music Society and serves on the Southern Nevada Symphony Orchestra's President's Advisory Council.
The Mesquite Weekly is proud to present the Zion Trio's performance at Thorley Hall on March 11, 2023. You may view their fine performance in its entirety in the provided video presentation.
The first half of the performance is a composition by AntonÃn Dvorak for piano, violin and cello, the Piano Trio No. 4 in E minor, Op. 90, B. 166, (also called Dumky trio from the subtitle Dumky). It is among the composer's best-known works. It is also a well-known example of chamber music that significantly deviates from the traditional structure of classical chamber music, both in terms of the quantity of movements and the formal organization of those movements. Dumky, the plural form of dumka, is an Ukrainian term. Originally, it is the diminutive form of the term Duma, plural dumy, which refers to epic ballads, specifically a song or lament of captive people. During the nineteenth century, composers from other Slavic countries began using the duma as a classical form used to indicate a brooding, introspective composition with cheerful sections interspersed within. Dvorak completed the trio on 12 February 1891. It premiered in Prague on 11 April 1891, with violinist Ferdinand Lachner, cellist Hanus Wihan, and Dvorak himself on piano. The same evening, Prague's Charles University awarded the composer an honorary doctorate. The work was so well received that Dvorak performed it on his forty-concert farewell tour throughout Moravia and Bohemia, just before he left for the United States to head the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York City. The trio was published while Dvorak was in America and was proofread by his friend Johannes Brahms. The piece is in six sections: I. Lento maestoso - Allegro quasi doppio movimento (E minor - E major) II. Poco adagio - Vivace non troppo - Vivace (C# minor) III. Andante - Vivace non troppo - Allegretto (A major - A minor - A major) IV. Andante moderato - Allegretto scherzando - Quasi tempo di marcia (D minor - D major) V. Allegro (E-flat major - E-flat minor) VI. Lento maestoso (C minor - C major) The composition features six dumky episodes throughout. The initial three dumky are connected together without interruption in the harmonically complementary keys given above, in effect forming a long first movement. The final three dumky are presented in unrelated keys, thus giving the overall impression of a four-movement structure. The form of the piece is structurally simple but emotionally complicated, being an uninhibited Bohemian lament. Considered essentially formless, at least by classical standards, it is more like a six movement dark fantasia - completely original and successful, a benchmark piece for the composer. Being completely free of the rigors of sonata form gave Dvorak license to take the movements to some dizzying, heavy, places, able to be both brooding and yet somehow, through it all, a little lighthearted. Antonin Leopold Dvorak (8 September 1841 - 1 May 1904) was a Czech composer.
Dvorak frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predecessor Bedrich Smetana. Dvorak's style has been described as "the fullest recreation of a national idiom with that of the symphonic tradition, absorbing folk influences and finding effective ways of using them". Dvorak displayed his musical gifts at an early age, being an apt violin student from age six. The first public performances of his works were in Prague in 1872 and, with special success, in 1873, when he was 31 years old. Seeking recognition beyond the Prague area, he submitted a score of his First Symphony to a prize competition in Germany, but did not win, and the unreturned manuscript was lost until it was rediscovered many decades later. In 1874, he made a submission to the Austrian State Prize for Composition, including scores of two further symphonies and other works. Although Dvorak was not aware of it, Johannes Brahms was the leading member of the jury and was highly impressed. The prize was awarded to Dvorak in 1874 and again in 1876 and in 1877, when Brahms and the prominent critic Eduard Hanslick, also a member of the jury, made themselves known to him. Brahms recommended Dvorak to his publisher, Simrock, who soon afterward commissioned what became the Slavonic Dances, Op. 46. These were highly praised by the Berlin music critic Louis Ehlert in 1878, the sheet music (of the original piano 4-hands version) had excellent sales, and Dvorak's international reputation was launched at last. Dvorak's first piece of a religious nature, his setting of Stabat Mater, was premiered in Prague in 1880. It was very successfully performed in London in 1883, leading to many other performances in the United Kingdom and United States. In his career, Dvorak made nine invited visits to England, often conducting performances of his own works. His Seventh Symphony was written for London. Visiting Russia in March 1890, he conducted concerts of his own music in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. In 1891, Dvorak was appointed as a professor at the Prague Conservatory. In 1890-91, he wrote his Dumky Trio, one of his most successful chamber music pieces. In 1892, Dvorak moved to the United States and became the director of the National Conservatory of Music of America in New York City. The President of the National Conservatory of Music in America, Jeannette Thurber, offered Dvorak an annual salary of $15,000 - an incredibly lavish sum for the era (equivalent to $488,556 in 2022), twenty-five times what he was paid at the Prague Conservatory. While in the United States, Dvorak wrote his two most successful orchestral works: the Symphony From the New World, which spread his reputation worldwide, and his Cello Concerto, one of the most highly regarded of all cello concerti. In the summer of 1893, Dvorak moved from New York City to Spillville, Iowa, following the advice of his secretary, J.J. Kovarik. Dvorak had originally planned to come back to Bohemia, but Spillville was made up of mostly Czech immigrants, and thus he felt less homesick; Dvorak referred to it as his "summer Vysoka." This is where he wrote his most famous piece of chamber music, his String Quartet in F major, Op. 96, which was later nicknamed the American Quartet. Shortly after his time in Iowa, Dvorak extended his contract at the National Conservatory for another two years. However, the economic crisis of April 1893 resulted in Thurber's husband's loss of income, and directly influenced the National Conservatory's funding. Shortfalls in payment of his salary, along with increasing recognition in Europe and an onset of homesickness, led him to leave the United States and return to Bohemia in 1895. All of Dvorak's nine operas, except his first, have librettos in Czech and were intended to convey the Czech national spirit, as were some of his choral works. By far the most successful of the operas is Rusalka. Among his smaller works, the seventh Humoresque and the song "Songs My Mother Taught Me" are also widely performed and recorded. He has been described as "arguably the most versatile... composer of his time". The Dvorak Prague International Music Festival is a major series of concerts held annually to celebrate Dvorak's life and works.
The second half of the evenings program is a Maurice Ravel Piano Trio for piano, violin, and cello. It is a chamber work composed in 1914. Dedicated to Ravel's counterpoint teacher Andre Gedalge, the trio was first performed in Paris in January 1915, by Alfredo Casella (piano), Gabriel Willaume (violin), and Louis Feuillard (cello). A typical performance of the work lasts about 30 minutes. In composing the Trio, Ravel was aware of the compositional difficulties posed by the genre: how to reconcile the contrasting sonorities of the piano and the string instruments, and how to achieve balance between the three instrumental voices - in particular, how to make that of the cello stand out from the others, which are more easily heard. In tackling the former problem, Ravel adopted an orchestral approach to his writing: by making extensive use of the extreme ranges of each instrument, he created a texture of sound unusually rich for a chamber work. He employed coloristic effects such as trills, tremolos, harmonics, glissandos, and arpeggios, thus demanding a high level of technical proficiency from all three musicians. Meanwhile, to achieve clarity in texture and to secure instrumental balance, Ravel frequently spaced the violin and cello lines two octaves apart, with the right hand of the piano playing between them. Inspiration for the musical content of the Trio came from a wide variety of sources, from Basque dance to Malaysian poetry. However, Ravel did not deviate from his usual predilection for traditional musical forms. The Trio follows the standard format for a four-movement classical work, with the outer movements in sonata form flanking a scherzo and trio and a slow movement. Nevertheless, Ravel manages to introduce his own innovations within this conventional framework. The Trio is written in the key of A minor and consists of four movements: I. Modere (A minor - C major) II. Pantoum (Assez vif) (A minor - F# major - F# minor - F major - A major) III. Passacaille (Tres large) (F# minor) IV. Final (Anime) (A major)
Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 - 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor.
He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In the 1920s and 1930s Ravel was internationally regarded as France's greatest living composer. Born to a music-loving family, Ravel attended France's premier music college, the Paris Conservatoire; he was not well regarded by its conservative establishment, whose biased treatment of him caused a scandal. After leaving the conservatoire, Ravel found his own way as a composer, developing a style of great clarity and incorporating elements of modernism, baroque, neoclassicism and, in his later works, jazz. He liked to experiment with musical form, as in his best-known work, Bolero (1928), in which repetition takes the place of development. Renowned for his abilities in orchestration, Ravel made some orchestral arrangements of other composers' piano music, of which his 1922 version of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition is the best known. A slow and painstaking worker, Ravel composed fewer pieces than many of his contemporaries. Among his works to enter the repertoire are pieces for piano, chamber music, two piano concertos, ballet music, two operas and eight song cycles; he wrote no symphonies or church music. Many of his works exist in two versions: first, a piano score and later an orchestration. Some of his piano music, such as Gaspard de la nuit (1908), is exceptionally difficult to play, and his complex orchestral works such as Daphnis et Chloe (1912) require skilful balance in performance. Ravel was among the first composers to recognise the potential of recording to bring their music to a wider public. From the 1920s, despite limited technique as a pianist or conductor, he took part in recordings of several of his works; others were made under his supervision. Apart from a one-movement Sonata for Violin and Piano dating from 1899, unpublished in the composer's lifetime, Ravel wrote seven chamber works. The earliest is the String Quartet (1902-03), dedicated to Faure, and showing the influence of Debussy's quartet of ten years earlier. Like the Debussy, it differs from the more monumental quartets of the established French school of Franck and his followers, with more succinct melodies, fluently interchanged, in flexible tempos and varieties of instrumental colour. The Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and string quartet (1905) was composed very quickly by Ravel's standards. It is an ethereal piece in the vein of the Pavane pour une infante defunte. Ravel also worked at unusual speed on the Piano Trio (1914) to complete it before joining the French Army. It contains Basque, Baroque and far Eastern influences, and shows Ravel's growing technical skill, dealing with the difficulties of balancing the percussive piano with the sustained sound of the violin and cello, "blending the two disparate elements in a musical language that is unmistakably his own," in the words of the commentator Keith Anderson. Ravel's four chamber works composed after the First World War are the Sonata for Violin and Cello (1920-22), the "Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Faure" for violin and piano (1922), the chamber original of Tzigane for violin and piano (1924) and finally the Violin Sonata (1923-27). The two middle works are respectively an affectionate tribute to Ravel's teacher, and a virtuoso display piece for the violinist Jelly d'Aranyi. The Violin and Cello Sonata is a departure from the rich textures and harmonies of the pre-war Piano Trio: the composer said that it marked a turning point in his career, with thinness of texture pushed to the extreme and harmonic charm renounced in favour of pure melody. His last chamber work, the Violin Sonata (sometimes called the Second after the posthumous publication of his student sonata), is a frequently dissonant work. Ravel said that the violin and piano are "essentially incompatible" instruments, and that his Sonata reveals their incompatibility. Sackville-West and Shawe-Taylor consider the post-war sonatas "rather laboured and unsatisfactory", and neither work has matched the popularity of Ravel's pre-war chamber works.
* Dvorak and Ravel information was sourced from WIKIPEDIA.
Next on the Mesquite Weekly is a symphony presentation conducted by Selmer Spitzer at the Mesquite Community Theatre on February 18, 2023, which also features the music work of Antonin Leopold Dvorak. Be sure to watch this space for some of the fine entertainment provided by Dr. Spitzer to our community for more than ten years. The Zion Trio brings musical art to SUU's Thorley Hall for an evening of fine chamber music.
Unleashing Hell from the "Gun Safe Zone" - Revisited Again, Again. Again and Again!
Republished on April 20, 2023 by Rudy (Hrothulf) Moertl
Federal and state legislatures have liberalized gun laws and revised current laws pertaining to dangerous weapons. Recently, existing laws which prohibit a person from carrying guns, including assault weapons, without a permit or any restrictions, have been overturned and churches, schools, universities and even bars are no longer gun free zones. It is almost impossible to buy assault weapons illegally.
Weapon of mass destruction - Serves no other purpose without invoking an insanity plea or an insane argument. Acquisition of these weapons of mass destruction is afforded to all willing to pay the monetary price, because there are no other restrictions of any kind. A singular exception that prohibits the sale of guns to felons is next to impossible to enforce, because a gun registry does not exist. In effect one can traffic in guns without any repercussion simple because a transactional trail is not available and you may not believe this: "it is illegal to register guns and maintain an automated data base of gun trafficking". Most Americans are not happy with people walking around heavily armed in their everyday lives and are horrified when hell is unleashed by a gun "lover". We recoil at the results of such madness when more than 600 of our loved ones are massacred in a little more than 10 minutes. Time heals all wounds and we will very likely go on and accepts the most gruesome of these events and the usually apathy will prevail. The daily occurring gun tragedies have insignificant impact on our daily lives (unless you are a victim). We have also grown callous; our national conscience chooses to be unaware and ignorant of the daily carnage taking a toll of 40,000 per year and many more wounded. Federal and state funded studies of gun deaths are prohibited by laws passed by legislators we elected to provide for safety and security of all Americans. Legislators are apparently motivated more by NRA and gun manufactures campaign contributions then by the victims of these insane conditions existing among civilized nations only in the US and some primitive countries. Gun violence and gun killings have increased almost everywhere in the US in comparison to recent years by rates in the double digits. Armed police officers are being shot in the streets. Law enforcement officers are outgunned by militia with weaponry and skills that police can not afford. Laws are ignored and openly flaunted by these "criminals" and they are often further encouraged by some of the "faux-news" media and often by our own government officials. Open carry has been the standard in the western US and it has its roots in the old west and is still deeply engrained in the cowboy culture (the sponsors of gun hell still wear their 10-gallon hats). Concealed carry is the choice of the coward and has its roots in urban warfare and is readily identifiable with the culture of the gangster. Our nuclear enemies make no attempt to conceal their nuclear capabilities, for they do not intend to use the bomb but present a serious deterrent against anyone else using the nuclear weapons. The terrorist, coward or mentally disturbed will conceal all weapons until they unleash hell upon all that get in their way. Our police officers respond with gunfire at any attempt of anyone reaching for their pockets or placing their hands anywhere that a firearm may be there concealed. It is a reasonable expectation that a suspect is carrying concealed weapons. Nevada and Las Vegas have more killings by police officers than even larger cities like New York where stronger gun laws actually reduce the likelihood of a concealed carry. Safety in carrying a firearm is of extreme importance because of deadly consequences to the carrier or others in the vicinity. A motor vehicle is less deadly yet we have regulations for the driver, the vehicle must meet safety standards, the road must meet safety standards and there are laws to enforce the regulations. Our legislators now want to unleash hell and no longer require any safety standards or safety education for any concealed carry. Why are our legislatures ready to unleash this hell upon the citizens of the US? It is reasonable to state that this is only about some nebulous sentence in our constitution about a regulated militia bearing arms (flintlock rifles not the modern-day equivalent of nuclear weapons - never mind a well-regulated militia)? It is reasonable to unleash hell for the campaign funds coming in from the NRA or the gun manufactures? Is it reasonable to unleash hell for the marginally few voters who will vote in favor of anyone who claims that guns are a God given right. It is reasonable to unleash hell upon Americans and claim it is for the sake of safety and security and in defense of freedom. So why are our legislatures and judicial officials not afraid to put concealed weapons in the hands of the mentally disturbed, convicted felons and individuals not able to pass a rudimentary class on safety and proper firearm use? Our legislators and all government officials carry out their work in "Gun Safe Zones" and need not fear the unleashing of hell. "Gun Safe Zones" where created shortly after the tragic event of 911 (where, by the way, no guns were involved). The unleashing of hell upon the public which does not have easy access to these "Gun Safe Zones" is demonstrable in the carnage that is carried out and reported everyday.
Our legislatures and judges surround themselves with an army of armed guards in buildings where the carrying of any dangerous weapon is not allowed. Access is granted in many cases only if one passes through metal detection devices and scanning similar to airport boarding procedures. Our legislatures and judges can thereby proclaim some lofty ideals and not really worry about the consequences and like the cowardly kings hiding in their castles while their foot soldiers have to endure the hell that they have unleashed. I do believe that these legislators and judges are not paranoid but simply acting to preserve life and limb.
Weapons of mass destruction, large stock pile is indicative of a potential insane war or a serious mental problem.
Their daily contact with the public has made them acutely aware that: "Approximately 1 in 5 adults in the U.S.- 3.8 million, or 18.5% - experiences mental illness in a given year. Approximately 1 in 25 adults in the U.S. - 9.8 million, or 4.0% -experiences a serious mental illness in a given year that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities". They are also aware of 50% of all guns are being amassed by a mere 3% of all gun owners. "Gun Safe Zones" are safe and should not only be a hiding place for the privileged lawmakers but a legislative goal and a reality for all our communities. We feel safe when boarding an aircraft because we know the lunatics on board are not carrying dangerous weapons openly or concealed. "Gun Safe Zones" where even police officers do not carry firearms are a reality in many parts of the civilized world. Even in the Old West the sheriff would often disarm visiting cowboys and declare the town a "Gun Safe Zone". Game of Guns - American Roulette.
How long will we continue to play this game. Guns are a reality in the places where there is no law, where lives are unimportant and the daily carnage is only answered by more violence and more killings. It is the voter that will eventually hold irresponsible lawmakers accountable for unleashing this new hell. We must recognize the cowardice of these lawmakers who hide in "Gun Safe Zones" while pontificating about some silly cowboy notions about guns. We have an opportunity in upcoming elections to ask those that would represent us, to provide laws that protect us from the criminal and criminally insane gun worshippers. We have a responsibility to elect those that proclaim that we have a right to life and liberty by stopping the gun insanity in our country. Ask your legislator to commit to the following: - Ban all assault weapons. - Ban high capacity magazines. - Prohibit gun sales to the mentally ill. - Create a federal database to track all gun sales. - Require permits (background checks) and gun registration for all guns. - Require permits for and registration of ammunition purchases. - Enable federal and state investigations of large quantity purchases of firearms and/or ammunition. Tell your elected officials that they need to do more against the hell and constant terrorism that is unleashed upon Americans every day and remind them the second amendment qualifies the right to bear arms as a function of a well-regulated militia and is not intended for anarchists, paranoid fear mongers, the enrichment of weapons manufacturers and an "unregulated" militia.
Unleashing Hell from the "Gun Safe Zone" - Revisited Again, Again. Again and Again!
OSU Rocks Cedar City with "Rock Gold" Spectacular
Published on April 8, 2023 by Rudy (Hrothulf) Moertl
The Orchestra of Southern Utah performance on February 11, 2023 at the Heritage Theatre was a historic event that literally rocked Cedar City. It was more than just a rocking Rock and Roll trip down memory lane. The magic of the Orchestra, the SUU Choral groups and an assemble of rock performers and their accompanists, the theater lighting and special effects teams turned the show into "Rock Gold" (24k). The theatre was packed, sold out, and buzzing with excitement in anticipation of this well-advertised standing room only event (word of mouth and the families of the 100-plus performer). If you were among those who could not get a ticket, or you missed Rock Gold you may watch the show here. Creativity, hard work, diligence and a successful search for excellence resulted in 24k Rock Gold. Hats off to the producers Rebekah Gonzales and Carylee Zwang for all the hard work in this beautiful, spectacular, dazzling, inspiring and entertaining piece of musical and visual art. The producers hope to do more events as entertaining in the future, drawing on local talent and again "bringing down the house". The following are excerpts or short outtakes from the Rock Gold concert :
And some more from the OSU YouTube channel:
The Virgin Valley Theatre Group Does "The Hallelujah Girls"
Published on March 9, 2023 by Rudy (Hrothulf) Moertl
The Virgin Valley Theatre Group performed "The Hallelujah Girls" a hilarious comedy play at the Mesquite Community Theatre During January and February 2023.
The Hallelujah Girls was directed and we believe, also produced by Joy Craig, who was also responsible for the very funny introduction at curtain time. The cast included some familiar faces from prior shows and a few newcomers adding even more sparkle to the twists and funny turns of this play. An abandoned church-turned-day-spa is the setting for this hilarious southern comedy. The feisty females of Eden Falls, Georgia gather every Friday afternoon at SPA-DEE-DAH! where unexpected twists and turns challenge the women to overcome obstacles and launch their new, improved lives. This side-splitting, joyful comedy will make you laugh out loud and shout, "Hallelujah!" If you didn't see this fun show at the theatre, well then here it is in all its glory. En Joy!
THE DIRECTOR THE CAST *********************************************** After nearly a year in the making, the play you have been waiting for has finally arrived.
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We the people will never give in or give up. "Oh say can you see...."
********* "there can be nothing more dreadful than the actions of a person should be subject to the will of another" Imannuel Kant (1724-1804) ********* "The supposition, that the future resembles the past, is not founded on arguments of any kind, but is derived entirely from habit." "A Treatise of Human Nature" David Hume (1711-1776)
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Carylee Zwang brings even more excitement to Cedar City and our southwest area by kicking off the Orchestra of Southern Utah 2023-2024 season. Get your season tickets now and enjoy big city entertainment at bargain prices.
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Rosalia the Catalon sensation at Coachella 2023 - WOW! *********
Calvin Harris at Coachella 2023 "Its A Miracle" by Ellie Goulding
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2023 Easter Greetings ********* "Mesquite Works" is moving forward with full "STEAM". The "STEAM" Center is our communities' focus on supplemental education! Watch for more details Here !!
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Lessons for the Fox - "Never! Never! Lie", or if absolutely necessary provide for deniablity.
Here are a few comments on the November 8, 2022 mid term election.
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If you missed the "Dastardly Desert Desperados", the Mesquite Weekly will publish an article, including the video of this fun packed musical melodrama. Coming soon... Watch this space.
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Next performance of the Symphony - TBD If you didn't see the
"SNSO on February 18th." Watch for it Here !! Coming Soon!!
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If you missed the "The Hallelujha Girls", the Mesquite Weekly will publish an article, including the video of this hilarious comedy play. Coming soon... Watch this space.
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"BALLOONS OVER MESQUITE" Watch It Here !!
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The Mesquite Weekly proudly features and presents a musical tribute dedicated to our local Symphony Orchestras and Theatre Groups in southeastern Nevada, the Virgin River Valley and southwestern Utah. For your viewing pleasure we present a few of the past Selmer Spitzer's Southern Nevada Symphony Orchestra (SS.SNSO) performances as well as some from the Southern Utah University (SUU), Utah Tech and Orchestra of Southern Utah (OSU). Enjoy!
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From Washington State and the great Northwest, the Mesquite Weekly is proud to present the 2023 season of "Concerts in the Barn" perfomances from Quilcene on the Olympic Olympic peninsula. Lots of talent presenting their musical art having fun in an informal farm setting. You will love it!
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The Future is ours as long as we walk down that road prepared with knowledge. Be all you can be ... Read !
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Although we choose our words, more carefully than ever, we also need to remember that punctuation is also and always an important element of proper and precise communication!
Introducing the first of many rides from the series Hrothulf's Howling Adventures
We the people have faced our darkest hours, our most horrific battles and challenges that have tested our resolve to keep AMERICA STRONG. And America emerged stronger and better.
The future maybe ours, but will we be able to outrun our past transgression? We must not dare to ignore the impact of our actions on our childrens future! Greta Thunberg makes an impassioned plea in an appeal to the UN and the world. Please watch:
Watch the latest Mesquite Weekly videocasts on topics that are relevant to local, state and federal political news and the issues that will inform and inspire your voting and campaigning activities for the next election cycle and more. Be in the know and cast an informed vote by watching it here! Healthcare is and will continue to be a politically charged topic for the year 2024. Here is a credible solution outlined by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: TECH TIPS Keeping up to date with technology can be taunting and overwhelming. Meet the everyday drudge with technology and keep it simple. Get your technical tips from The Mesquite Weekly here. Here is the first Tech Tip of 2019:
"Dinning and Entertainment in Mesquite"
Wedgies is totally smoke free! Breakfast, lunch and dinner, lively bar, gaming and air that you can breathe.
D Thai Bistro
D Delightfully Presented, Fresh and Superbly Flavored and D Delicious !
