American Reflections
Jerod Impichchaachaa’ Tate, Chokfi’
Edward Elgar, Cello Concerto
Daniel Kim, cello
William Dawson, Negro Folk Symphony
Honoring Muscogee Creek heritage, Jerod Impichchaachaaha Tate portrays Chokfi’ (Chickasaw for rabbit), a trickster character legendary within Southeast American Indian cultures.. Though a NY critic found Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto to be "reflective, melancholy and generally depressing", it has become one of the most loved pieces in the solo cello and symphonic repertoire. We bring it to you with recent concerto competition winner Daniel Kim as our soloist. A recently rediscovered masterpiece, William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony is, in the composer’s own words, “symbolic of the link uniting Africa and her rich heritage with her descendants in America,” using Negro Spirituals in the style of American post-Romantics. We are proud to bring the Arizona premiere of this powerfully poignant piece to life.
