Rafael Antonio Rodriguez

Shannon Burr sings the beautiful aria from the opera "Vanessa" by Samuel Barber (libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti) with the University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Rafael Antonio Rodriguez, conductor

Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducting the Peruvian National Symphony Orchestra of Cusco in the "Capilla de Nuestra Señora de Loreto" on the main square in Cusco. 00:00 I. Molto allegro 08:56 II. Andante 21:39 III. Menuetto – Trio 25:44 IV. Allegro assai

Arranged for strings by R. Antonio Rodriguez. Dr. Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the University of Memphis Chamber Orchestra. “Amor de Temporada” is a popular folkloric dance from Costa Rica known as a pasillo. This genre originated in Colombia and was passed into Central America through Panama, is typically a love song, and always in three. Listeners (and dancers!) will feel the crossed rhythms of three against two that originate in western Africa and permeate our common musical language throughout the Americas. The final couplet states: ...sonó luego el latido de dos corazones en un ardiente beso, mi amor te di. …then sounded the beating of two hearts in one burning kiss, my love to thee.

Dr. Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Originally written in 1820 for the stage work "Die Zauberharfe" ("The Magic Harp"), this overture was erroneously included in an 1855 publication of Schubert's incidental music for the play Rosamunde by Helmina von Chézy which premiered in Vienna's Theater an der Wien on 20 December 1823. The overture used for the 1823 production was from Schubert's grand opera "Alfonso und Estrella." There is no indication that Schubert ever intended this overture to be associated with Rosamunde. Yet, it is almost always referred to as the "Rosamunde Overture."

Dr. Michael Shults, soprano saxophone Dr. Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the University of Memphis Chamber Orchestra. Arturo Márquez is perhaps most famous for his series of eight Danzónes, or dances. Regularly performed around the world, Marquez’ music incorporates folkloric elements and idiomatic styles through the symphony orchestra. While the Danzón No. 2 is the most famous and most often performed of these dances, each individual danzón is crafted to express the genre in a unique way. The Danzón No. 6, scored for solo soprano saxophone and strings, is titled “Puerto Calvario” and is dedicated to Márquez parents.

Dr. Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra. From Ralph Waldo Emerson's poem "The Sphinx" (1841): "Thou art the unanswered question; Couldst see they proper eye, Alway it asketh, asketh; And each answer is a lie. So take thy quest through nature, It through thousand natures ply; Ask on, thou clothed eternity; Time is the false reply." The strings represent “The Silences of the Druids – Who Know, See, and Hear Nothing.” The trumpet intones “The Perennial Question of Existence”, and states it in the same tone of voice each time. But the hunt for “The Invisible Answer” undertaken by the flutes and other human beings, becomes gradually more active, faster, and louder through the piece. “The Fighting Answerers,” as the time foes on, and after a “secret conference,” seem to realize a futiliy, and begin to mock “The Question” – the strife is over for the moment. After they disappear, “The Question” is asked for the last time, and “The Silences” are heard beyond in “Undisturbed Solitude.”

Dr. Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra. (00:03) 1. Charlie and the Mechanical Man Marching Band (04:27) 2. The Strange Case of Dr. Curie and Madame Hyde (09:20) 3. Bertie Wells attends Mr. Verne's lecture on flying machines (13:46) 4. Barnum & Tesla's Tandem Bicycle Steampunk Suite depicts various scenes that take place in a fictional alternate history that features notable people alive in the Victorian era, including Charles Ives, Marie Curie, H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, P.T. Barnum and Nikola Tesla. It borrows from popular music of the era, including the march, waltz, and the song “Daisy Bell.” These are combined with sounds of clockwork and imagined steam technology. It also borrows various musical elements from numerous composers of the time, including Ives, Sousa, Satie, Karl King, Stravinsky, and Weill, with some Khachaturian and Danny Elfman thrown in for good measure.

Dr. Rafael Antonio Rodriguez conducts the University of Memphis Symphony Orchestra. José Pablo Moncayo is regarded as one of the most important 20th-century nationalist composers in Mexico along with Carlos Chavez and Silvestre Revueltas and was a contemporary of fellow students at the National Conservatory of Mexico such as Blas Galindo, Daniel Ayala, and Salvador Contreras. Moncayo’s famous “Huapango” is emblematic of the nationalist movement in music and has had a lasting legacy, being sometimes referred to as Mexico’s unofficial national anthem. As a genre, the huapango (or son huasteco) originated in the northeastern part of Mexico during the latter half of the 19th century drawing on the traditions of Spanish music and baroque dances and reflecting the complex heritage of African and indigenous populations in the region formally dominated by the Huastec people.