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Pale Blue Dot: Concertino for marimba, strings and percussion

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Alex Stopa has composed and recorded another original piece of music, and Eat More Art Vegas invites everyone to view the link below to enjoy this incredible creativity of musical talent in Las Vegas.


Click here to view and enjoy.

 

MUSICIANS:

Violin – De Ann Letourneau

Concertmaster, Las Vegas Philharmonic; Adele; Celine Dion

Violin – James Harvey

Las Vegas Philharmonic; Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular

Viola – Rob Taylor

SpongeBob SquarePants, Finding Neverland (Broadway); Co-writer (book and lyrics) of the Tony Award-winning musical Bandstand

Cello – Dena Massaro

Cirque du Soleil’s O, performed with Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer

Bass – Tyler Williams

Musical director and bassist for Le Rêve; Avenue Ǫ; Peter Erskine

Percussion – Jeffery Crowell

Professor of Music, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire; Bobby Shew, Louie Bellson, Henry Mancini, Joan Rivers

 

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Recording G Mix Engineer – Samuel Friend Director – Michael Tushaus Cinematographer – Tim Harbour

 

VIDEO LOCATION: The Doyle

 

PROGRAM NOTES:

In 1990, an incredible portrait of planet Earth was captured by the Voyager 1 spacecraft. Taken from a distance of four billion miles, the photograph shows our home planet, Earth, as a tiny point of pale light, barely visible in the enormity of space. The image is at once humbling and awe-inspiring, highlighting the fleeting nature of human existence in the vastness of our universe.

 

Accompanying the image of this “pale blue dot” is an extraordinary quote from American astronomer Carl Sagan (available online at the Planetary Society’s website). Some thirty years later, as civilization places ever-increasing demands on our planet, Sagan’s message of compassion and preservation resonates with an even greater urgency. — Alex Stopa

 

THE MUSIC:

The main musical theme is a sextuplet rhythmic motif, almost minimalist in style. It is played by various instruments, alone or accompanied, in different keys and tonalities. I aimed to create a sonic palette of sounds, colors, and textures, which I felt could depict the enormity and solitude of space.

 

I was especially eager to explore the fusion of percussion and strings in a classical setting. Incorporating violin, viola, cello, and bass with marimba and percussion was both musically inspiring and challenging. There is nothing in our repertoire quite like this and I had to discover creative ways to blend their unique colors and timbre, both solo and in combination.

 

A REFLECTION OF MUSICAL LIFE IN LAS VEGAS BY ALEX STOPA:

My musical life in Las Vegas is incredibly diverse, one night I’m performing in a concert hall, the next at a jazz club, for rock show, in musical theatre pit, or as part of a large-scale Cirque du Soleil production. My music compositions and arrangements reflect this diversity. Drawing inspiration from classical, jazz, pop, rock, world, and other eclectic styles, I’ve always strived to blur the lines between genres.

 

Through this project, I wanted to bring together musicians from across Las Vegas to showcase the incredible talent within our community. By featuring musicians from the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Cirque du Soleil, and Broadway, I was able to reflect the range of influences that shape my writing and celebrate the city’s rich and diverse musical landscape. And it just so happens that some of the most talented people I know are also dear friends, so bringing this music to life was a real joy!

 

Working with recording and mix engineer Sam was a full-circle moment. He was once a percussion student at UNLV, where we now both teach part-time. It was wonderful collaborating with him on this project.

 

This project is supported in part by the Nevada Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. 

 

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