[Harp-L] Levy concerto

[Larry Haston <lhaston@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Last night, my wife and I made the 90 minute drive into Nashville and 
experienced the best in music from opposite ends of the spectrum. First 
stop, B.B. King's to hear an incredibly talented 
singer/pianist/songwriter, Laura Vida along with a superb sideman, 
Saxophonist Tim Coleman.  A voice made for soul, blues and Motown.   
Afterwards, we walked a few blocks up the street to cozy little War 
Memorial Auditorium for the highlight of the evening, the Nashville 
Chamber Orchestra and Howard Levy performing his "Concerto for Diatonic 
Harmonica and Orchestra", 20 minutes of  virtuosity that kept me 
alternately picking my jaw up and pushing the hair down on the back of 
my neck.  I have now been to Mecca.  I wish I could find words to 
produce an adequate review  but can find none to do justice to the 
performance.  This weekend marked only the 10 performance this concerto 
has been performed since Levy was commissioned to write the piece by the 
Illinois Philharmonic.  During intermission I had the chance to pickup 
of an autographed cd from the master himself.   My taste in harp tends 
to run toward the blues/jazz end of the spectrum, but I will be looking 
for this concerto once it's been released.  Howard told me he had 
recorded the concerto with the Czech Symphony Orchestra and were working 
on the distribution angle.  It is not to be missed.