 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
"BUFFALO NATION" PREMIERES IN MILWAUKEE
WPR News - "Buffalo Nation" premieres in Milwaukee
|
|
Friday April 13, 2012
by Chuck Quirmbach
|
|
(Photos by
Chuck Quirmbach)
|
|
|---|
|
(MILWAUKEE) The group Present Music performs Buffalo Nation. The work combines instrumentals, text and sound effects to tell the story of the Bison from pre-historic times through the herd's decimation in the U.S. in the 19th century, to the bison's slow comeback over the last few decades. Composer Jerome Kitzke says he first thought about the bison when he was on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota about 25 years ago, and later decided to write a piece about the near extinction of the herd.
"The destruction, the mechanism that had to be put into place by the young American government and the expanding westward movements just startled me and I thought what was that like and all the things that went into that,' he says.
Kitzke says the music attempts to convey sadness and desolation, but also contains theatrical elements like the sound of bison running. Kathleen Masterson wrote the text, or libretto, for Buffalo Nation. she says she hopes the part of the composition that depicts the decimation of the bison spurs people to help preserve nature .
"I want our country to not do these things any more toward our natural resources and to the people who we live with," she says. "I want our country to be different. I think it's time."
Sponsors of the performance of Buffalo Nation include the National Endowment for the Arts, the Wisconsin Arts Board and many others.
|
| You can also listen to this story or download it now! |
 |
 |
(1:54) |
|
|
|
