The Arizona Centennial Foundation recognized the PMAZ Celebrating Arizona's Centennial concert as an official event in recognition of 100 years of statehood. ProMusica Arizona was privileged to be part of a full calendar of events taking place around the state commemorating Arizona’s rich history, culture, and natural wonders. The PMAZ concert featured music that celebrated the diversity of Arizona's history since becoming a state on February 14, 1912. It included the performance of two pieces commissioned by The Arizona Commission for the Arts as part of the Centennial Legacy Project.
The orchestral piece, called "Arizona Centennial Overture," was composed by Sy Brandon, a resident of Cottonwood, Arizona. The overture paid tribute to the unique blend of the various cultures that had a part in shaping Arizona’s history. The Arizona Commission on the Arts piece written for chorale and piano is titled "Turquoise and Thunderstorm." The music was written by Dr. James DeMars, and the ethereal text by Alberto Rios. The beautiful and haunting music used 20th century sonorities and text painting to express the natural wonders of Arizona. The chorale also performed several works that celebrate Arizona cowboys and the great American west.
The audience was treated to "Sinfonia India" by Carlos Chavez. It is a single movement work featuring rhythms, sounds, scales, and percussion that was derived from the Yaqui Indians of northern Mexico, many of whom settled in the Sonoran desert of Arizona. Carlos Chavez is a 20th century Mexican composer, educator, and conductor who founded the Mexican Symphonic Orchestra. He composed "Sinfonia India," or 2nd Symphony, in 1935. The piece is based on the mestizo music of Chavez’s youth, and captures the rhythmic complexity of a fast paced dance, and blends a short haunting middle section that reflects on the tranquility of the desert night.
The Chorale and Orchestra performed Randall Thompson's "The Testament of Freedom" composed in 1943. It is one of the most popular works of American nationalistic music, and was a huge success with the audience. It was written to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the birth of Thomas Jefferson. The text for each of the four movements was taken from writings by Thomas Jefferson.