The first performance of “All Rise,” Wynton Marsalis‘s epic and extraordinary jazz symphony, didn’t quite go as planned.
“It sounded so bad that first night,” Marsalis sighs, recalling the December 1999 premiere at Lincoln Center. “It was like I was in the middle of a bunch of noise. I felt like I had inflicted a crime on about two hundred people in public.”
Luckily, things got better.
“We were scheduled to play it the next October in Czechoslovakia,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and legendary jazz trumpeter says. “I was trying to get out of that performance. But in the first rehearsal, it was like another piece of music. It sounded like music all of a sudden. Then we played. The people went crazy. They loved it. Ever since, it’s always gotten a tremendous response.”
Marsalis is bringing “All Rise” to Strathmore for two performances next weekend, a highlight of the venue’s season-long series, “Shades of Blues.” “I put a lot into the piece,” he says. “It took me about six months of writing around the clock. The last month my ears were so hot, they were actually hurting. I’ve never written music where I actually had my inner ear hurt because I was hearing so much music.”
The 12-movement piece, fusing blues, jazz, spiritual, and classical music and incorporating a choir of 150 gospel singers, was originally commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and its then-conductor Kurt Masur. “He wanted me to write a piece that celebrated bringing jazz and classical music and black and white people together in America,” says Marsalis. “But I started to think much broader than just people in America. What does it take to integrate with other people? That’s the subject of ‘All Rise.’ What does it take for us to come together, and what do we do when we come together?
“It’s very relevant to this moment,” he adds. “Times have been troubling for a long time. The 1960s were troubling. The 1970s were troubling. The movement away from integration that took place in the late ’70s was troubling. The reasserting of Confederate principles that took place in the 1980s by Ronald Reagan were troubling. The financial crisis that took place in the early ’90s was troubling. A lot of what’s happened in the last years have been troubling — mass incarcerations, privatization of jails, redistricting. We could go on and on and on.
“These days, it’s like we’re swinging back in the other direction. Yes, it’s troubling that we made the decisions we made, but we had the opportunity to vote, we showed up at the polls, and that’s what we decided. Those of us who don’t like the direction we’re going in, we have to protest illegal actions. Fight. Exercise our rights for citizens to create the country we want to create. It will not be easy. To think that centuries of tribalism and injustice just go away — they don’t.
“Kurt Masur told me when I was writing ‘All Rise’ — and I keep this quote on my phone — ‘The line between civilization and barbarism is much thinner than you think. That’s why with everything that you do, you have to decry barbarism and the reduction of people.'”
“All Rise” will be performed on Friday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 26, at 4 p.m. in the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md. Tickets are $65 to $175. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org/blues.
Tucked below D.C. in Dupont Underground on a recent October evening, the Washington Ballet soft-launched its 2024-2025 season with an immersive Dance for All program. In addition to a well-timed popup pre-show, TWB's lithe Studio Company performed new choreography by artistic director Edwaard Liang, set to music by composer Blake Neely.
To my surprise, Liang's was practically the first face I saw as I descended into the bustling space for the performance. The former New York City Ballet soloist-turned-choreographer, and now company leader, was greeting patrons at the door, the soul of easygoing ambassadorship.
Metro Weekly is no stranger to political endorsements. We've been reporting about them for years. Human Rights Campaign, Victory Fund, Stein Democrats, Log Cabin Republicans.... Plenty of entities make endorsements, and for years we've shared those endorsements with our readers.
Making an endorsement of our own, however, is an exception to the rule. But as an independent publication with no fears of losing government contracts if we don't bow to a powerful candidate, we're comfortable making one. As an advocacy publication speaking to and on behalf of the LGBTQ community, we're little motivated to claim a spurious notion of neutrality, particularly in this election cycle. Today, we are at a colossal crossroads in the American experiment. Metro Weekly wants to make its position at this juncture crystal clear.
Vice President Kamala Harris recently appeared on The Howard Stern Show to speak about her presidential campaign and pitch herself to the radio host's massive audience. She opened up about various topics, including the risk that a future Trump administration would pose to same-sex couples.
During last Tuesday's hour-long interview, Stern, a supporter of LGBTQ rights, mentioned how Senate Republicans had refused to consider any nominees for the U.S. Supreme Court after the death of Antonin Scalia, denying President Barack Obama the chance to nominate a liberal justice to the court. The high court is now skewed 6-3 in favor of Republican appointees -- including three named by Trump -- and, should Trump win again, could skew even further right.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.