Frankie Reneau will have his annual concert this Friday at the Bliss. He's doing it with a little help from his friends, Students form the Summer Arts Institute, the Belize Choral Society and Others.
They'll play the first hour with him and then the second hour will be played by Belize's most accomplished pianist. He told us what he has in store:..
Frankie Reneau
"It's always nice to mix your styles, a bit of Beethoven. There is Gershwin - a highlight of the evening - rhapsody in blue which is jazz and classical mixture. In between that we have other things by Debussy - French composer. Romantic, Rachmaninov and a few other things. I decided to put something a little different - Bartok - a Hungarian composer."
"Of course I always have my arrangement of the Belize National Anthem so anytime I get to play it. So I am doing that - people like that every year. I think this sort of thing you don't get often in Belize and this piano which is an instrument to some extent wasted if it is not used perhaps for what it was not meant to be used and my teaching experience with the children - I really enjoy that very much."
And while tomorrow's concert at the Bliss Center at eight is a tradition for Reneau the performer, Reneau the composer is debuting another commissioned piece on the 21st. September. It's called a Hymn to Belize, a 10 minute devotional piece for his place of birth.
It is a huge work designed for a 45 piece orchestra and a hundred person chorus, and he told us he plans to deliver a patriotic tour de force live at the 21st official ceremonies:..
Frankie Reneau
"It's a work for orchestra and possibly 80 voices we shall have in a huge choir and the orchestra itself is comprise of flutes, bassoon, trumpets, French horns, clarinets - all the string sections and I am putting all that together as a choir and to be performing on the 21st. The sentiments in it are all in "praise of a nation" a song to a nation - that's what I wrote - I think very stirring work in terms of what I pledge to thee my country, my love and loyalty I gave land of my birth my home deep in my heart you live forward from strength to strength we do. There many blessings we hear proclaim with heads held high and hearts we proudly sing our name Belize our beloved country. I have all the words in there, buts its totally an acclamation of Belize almost like God in a way and praising Belize for what it has done for us and what is means to us."
Some of the players will have to be brought in from Mexico to fill out the orchestra...
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