How to go
What: DPO’s Demirjian Chamber Exploration Series, World Premiere: Songs of Rumi
Where: The Schuster Center, Second and Main streets, Dayton
When: 10 a.m. today, Oct. 29
Cost: $10-$24
More information: (937) 228-3630 or www.daytonphilharmonic.com
For more than 15 years, Miamisburg-based composer Jeff Olmsted has had a fascination with the 13th century poet and philosopher Rumi.
“He is a bottomless well of inspiration for me as a composer and as a person of intense but unorthodox faith,” writes Olmsted in his program notes. Olmsted’s collegiate friendship with Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Music Director Neal Gittleman laid the foundation for DPO’s second concert in the 2009-10 Demirjian Chamber Exploration Series — World Premiere: Songs of Rumi featuring music composed by Olmsted.
“I went to college with Neal, and when I moved to Dayton we got back in touch,” Olmsted said. “I gave him a CD of some of the recordings of these songs and we had a series of conversations and came up with the idea of reincarnating them for chamber orchestra and chorus.”
Popular Sufi poet, Rumi, was born in 1207 in what is today Afghanistan. Most of his life was spent in Turkey. His language is Persian Farsi, which is spoken today in modern Iran. English translations for “Songs of Rumi” were done by Coleman Barks and Andrew Harvey.
“I am not an expert in Persian music,” Olmsted said. “And apart from the use of some Middle Eastern percussion, I have only nodded in that musical direction.”
Olmsted said his composition borrows from a variety of musical genres and styles.
“I would say it is certainly influenced by world music, pop music, art songs, gospel, pop songs, some new age music and maybe a little bit of jazz,” he said. “I listen widely, so there are a lot of influences.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2167 or kmoss@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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