Olympic Harmony! 2008-2009

Inspired by the Olympic Spirit, the Equinox Chamber Players join in to celebrate the peaceful coming together of the five continents. As designated by the five Olympic Rings, one ring per continent, Equinox will perform music of the Americas, Asia, Oceania, Africa and Europe. Equinox brings our Olympic Harmony! programs to St. Louis schools and concert halls throughout the City and County of St. Louis. To review our educational outline click here. To view our sponsors click here.

A special feature of our Olympic celebration is the premier of our new work, The Suite of Five Seasons, written by Boston composer Beth Denisch, commissioned by the Equinox Chamber Players.

The Suite of Five Seasons explores the dreams and aspirations of athletes from all over the world who came together for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Musical influences from the five continents are heard throughout this piece and reflect the spirit of the participants and their homelands. The five Olympic mascots; happiness, prosperity, good fortune, passion, and vitality, represent elements of traditional Chinese philosophy and provide distinct temperaments for each movement.

The Suite of Five Seasons, by Beth Denisch

I. Balance for Happiness
II. Laughing Waves
III. Fortune's Breeze
IV. Fireball Bounce
V. Joyful Flight

I. Balance for Happiness features the clarinet, the Americas, and happiness. The sports represented include weightlifting, judo, wrestling, and taekwondo. The primary melody includes whole tone and pentatonic motives.

II. Laughing Waves and the Lyrebird features aquatic sports, the oboe, the Oceania continent, and prosperity. It opens with simple harmonies in thirds that are reminiscent of some Pacific island music and the, sometimes, gentle and laughing waves. While composers are occasionally inspired by other composers or by nature in this case it was both: the bird-like oboe solo is derived from an excerpt of an Australian superb lyrebird song transcribed by the French composer Olivier Messiaen.

III. Fortune’s Breeze’s features the French horn, the Asian continent, and gymnastics. It considers fortune, both good and bad, by referencing a very famous Chinese tune, Hu Jia Shi Ba Pai. This ancient song tells the story of Cai Wenji, who, almost 2000 years ago returned to her homeland after 12 years of exile. But she did this at the expense of leaving her children with the foreign king to whom she had been forcibly married. This story may remind one of the ecstasies of victory, the agonies of defeat, and the winds of Fortune.

IV. Fireball Bounce features the bassoon, Europe, and the ball sports such as baseball, soccer (football), basketball and rugby. This sonata movement, one of the most famous musical forms to come from Europe, maintains the tradition with contrasting themes and development and recapitulation sections. However, instead of a major-minor tonal system, the pitch aggregates are determined by the octatonic system of alternating half and whole step scale patterns. There are only three distinct aggregates in the octatonic system and the third one is saved for the bassoon cadenza.

V. Joyful Flight features the flute, track and field events, Africa, and vivaciousness, liveliness, and good health. Remembering Wanjiru and the many other marathon winners from Kenya, Joyful Flight is about running over the tops of mountains and joyfully singing with flying feet. Polyrhythmic figures are applied to growing, and at other times, dwindling linearalities based on a traditional African melody.

Equinox is grateful to our sponsors!
To read about our Olympic Harmony! sponsors of our educational events, please click here.