A native Duluthian who returned in her adulthood to her home town, remembering and reflecting on Eleanor is an amazing task. While small in stature, Eleanor lived life BIG and at a pace few could match.
Those who worked with her got to know her very well and feel the loss of her death and the privacy she put around herself at the end as a great challenge. We have to learn to go on, accept that we knew her, that she knew us, that we will always think lovingly of one another but that for most of us, we did not get to bid farewell. And perhaps that is a grand part of the legacy of Eleanor Hovda, she is not gone, she went on her own terms and she is with us all in our memories and in her music.
It is noteworthy that Eleanor worked with, and was in her own right, one of the greats in music and modern dance. She surrounded herself with innovative thinkers and continued to stretch the definition of music and dance to limits some were perplexed by. Others embraced her efforts and found it dynamic and energizing.
Zeitgeist is a perfect ensemble to perform her work and it is a talented group she had worked with in her lifetime and one that continues to honor her memory through the performance of her work. If you are not familiar with the work of Eleanor Hovda as a composer then the combination of her talent and the gifts of the musicians who are Zeitgeist provide the perfect introduction for you.
--Michael Garcia, Sawyer, MN
Zeitgeist: New Discoveries, Old Favorites
Oct. 3-4, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 5, 2 p.m.
Studio Z, 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200
St. Paul
$10 Friday & Sunday
$20 Saturday*
Zeitgeist kicks off the 2014-15 season with the debut of the ensemble’s newest member, pianist Nicola Melville. A concert of favorites both old and new, the season opener features the world premiere of From Afar, the Dragon Calls by Minnesota composer Jeff Lambert, new music by Justin Rubin, Joshua Harris and Doug Opel, and long-treasured works from Eleanor Hovda and George Crumb.
Works include:
Jeff Lambert: From Afar, the Dragon Calls
Eleanor Hovda: If Tigers Were Clouds
George Crumb: Mundus Canis
Joshua Harris: OCT 21 2015
Doug Opel: Playtime with Elvis and Krispy
Mike Olson: Breathing Voltages
Justin Rubin: The armed man should be feared… and other lessons from the Renaissance
*Saturday’s performance includes wine, hors d'oeuvres, and a post-concert reception with pianist Nicola Melville and composer Jeff Lambert.