The mission of conductor and music director Devin Patrick Hughes is to uplift the human spirit through the orchestra, and share the relevance of symphonic music in our modern lives. Devin resides in Colorado, where he conducts the Boulder Symphony and Arapahoe Philharmonic and hosts the podcast One Symphony.
North Myrtle Beach, SC (PRUnderground) July 25th, 2021
Symphonic music, both new and old, can stir our souls in ways that I believe no other music is capable. One of the most exciting aspects of orchestral music is that it was not created in a vacuum. Composers like Beethoven and Dvořák were common folks who worked their butts off and reacted to the events, culture, and dilemmas of their times by creating art that would continue to influence societies and stir our souls centuries after their deaths. In our times composers like Caroline Shaw and Mason Bates reflect and reimagine life today, where we are, and where we’re going with their musical visions.
In the second installment of 100 Minutes of Symphonic Music, I wanted to share some aspects of this amazing repertoire we call symphonic (formerly “classical”) music that can enrich our spirit, uplift our souls, and bring relevance and purpose to our lives.
Mason Bates: Warehouse Medicine from the B-Sides
Mason Bates merges techno and electronica with the orchestra more seamlessly than any other contemporary composer. During Warehouse Medicine (the fifth movement of the B-Sides), titled after the DJ/dance scene of Detroit, the sounds are so well integrated that it’s sometimes unclear where orchestral instruments end and electronica begins. Bates marvelously brings the symphonic orchestra into the nightclub with reckless abandon.