Music Festival Mixes in Multi Media

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The festival's Valentines's Day concert features Spanish music and dancing by LA Flamenco.
The festival’s Valentines’s Day concert features Spanish music and dancing by LA Flamenco.

By folding traditional chamber music with contemporary work, and performing arts with special sound effects, this year’s Laguna Beach Music Festival, Feb. 12-15, continues to evolve into an encompassing cultural event that is likely to draw increasing audiences.

Acting, dance and music converge in “Bringing Don Quixote to Life,” starring the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and actor Phil Proctor in possibly the festival’s crowning extravaganza.

Proctor embodies Quixote, his sidekick Sancho Panza and other characters from the Cervantes novel, all accompanied by special visual and sound effects.

“I inherited my version of Don Quixote from John Cleese, who embodied him in a Monty Python production,” said Proctor, who assumed the role four years ago. “I love the piece: I get to sing, do narrative and dialogue, all in association with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, who are superbly talented, genius musicians,” he said.

In Cleese’s wake, Proctor too does his characters in British accents ranging from upper class Queen’s English for Quixote to London cockney for his earthier companion.

Proctor also promised a surprise encore to the show, which won’t be given away here.

Acclaimed for his founding and participation in the satirical Firesign Theatre, Proctor has also given voice to a variety of characters at Pageant of the Masters for the last five years.

The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet includes William Kanengiser, who also serves as a festival artistic director this year. “We are giving three recitals that are different in tone and theatricality. The collaboration with the percussion quartet is a first,” said Kanengiser, who takes credit for synchronization of music, lighting and special effects in Quixote. “The festival promises to be challenging work for us and the audience,” he said.

The quartet will perform a Valentine’s Day concert of romantic Spanish music featuring dancing by LA Flamenco, will accompany the Quixote performance and team up with the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet during the festival’s opening concert and gala. The opening highlights “Imir,” a new composition by Jeffrey Holmes, who admitted finding composing with such divergent instruments as guitars and percussion instruments a novel challenge.

LA Percussion member Justin DeHart explained that LA percussion was founded seven years ago because there were so few percussion chamber groups and their available repertoire generally limited. “California plays an important role in percussion; we are picking up on a tradition that started here in the 1930s and ‘40s,” he said. Meanwhile, he explained that modern percussion instruments include traditional Western ones as well as those of any ethnicity. Sometimes a resonant found object sounds right.

“We tend to craft our programs to what we know about our audience. Playing Laguna for the first time, we wanted to find material that is fun and approachable, but also sophisticated, pieces that highlight ethnic rhythms, Brazil and Africa,” he said.

Commissioned by Laguna Beach Live and underwritten by Justus J. and Helen Schlichting, “Imir” was inspired by Laguna’s proximity to the ocean and based on an ancient Nordic myth about a Nordic giant, who had been killed by his three sons.

“Nature and the transcendence of life, including death, are big inspirations for my music but, titles are mere descriptives on which listeners can base their own impressions. Music is an abstract medium that originates in the inner psychology and titles are merely descriptive. One does not need to comprehend them to interpret the music,” said Holmes, who is of Scandinavian heritage.

The Schlichtings are Laguna Beach residents and avid supporters of new music. “Our focus is on creation of new music which will be huge for the music festival,” he said. “It takes a leap of faith but I have enormous respect for the challenge of new music and the courage of both musicians and composers,” he said.

Festival information: 949-715-9713 www.lagunabeachmusicfestival.com

Music Fest Line-up

Ticketed concerts/events:

Thursday, Feb. 12: “Taste of the Festival,” 5:30 p.m., mixer with food and festival musicians, Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Dr.  $80.

Friday, Feb. 13: opening party, concert, “LAGQ meets LAPQ,” 5:30 p.m. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Rd. Concert $35-45; party $125

Saturday, Feb. 14:

festival luncheon with Phil Proctor, 11:30 a.m., $40. Local location available with ticket purchase.  Valentine’s Day Concert “Spanish Romance and Passion,” 8 p.m. Laguna Playhouse. $35/$45 VIP +$100

Sunday, Feb. 15: “Bringing Don Quixote to Life,” 3 p.m. Laguna Playhouse. $35-$45, VIP $100.

Student discounts: Under 25 accompanied by paid ticket holder, free. Student tickets $25.

Outreach events: 

Thursday, Feb. 12: Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, 9-9:30 am & 9:45-10:15 a.m. Thurston Middle School, students only.

Friday, Feb. 13: Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, 10-10:45 a.m. Susi Q, 380 Third St., Free with reservation only; 11-11:45 a.m., Laguna Beach High School, students only.

Friday, Feb. 13. Los Angeles Percussion Quartet & Los Angeles Guitar Quartet & Jeffrey Holmes, 3-4 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 14: Los Angeles Guitar Quartet & Phil Proctor, 2-3:30 p.m.

Both free at Laguna Playhouse.

 

Info: 949 715-9713  www.lagunabeachmusicfestival.com 

 

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