Aspen Choral Society’s spring show is set to dazzle, once again, after pushing the creative edge last year with movement, moody lights, living sculptures and provocative symbolism along the themes of grief and rebirth.
Each year, the all-ages, volunteer choir produces Handel’s “Messiah” in the winter followed by a special spring show. According to director Paul Dankers, now in his 10th season with Aspen Choral Society, “This is the most difficult choral piece that I’ve ever tackled,” and he knew it from the start.
“The Drop that Contained the Sea,” composed by Christopher Tin, is conceptually based around a Sufi proverb that within every drop of water is the essence of all water. Considering that the planet and our bodies are mostly water, all of life is united by a common care for this precious element.
Tin, a two-time Grammy-winning, Chinese-American composer, evokes this universality by basing each movement of “The Drop that Contained the Sea” in a different culture and language. Nearly 80 singers, accompanied by a 20-piece orchestra directed by MinTze Wu, will sing in 10 languages, weaving together poems and prayers from around the world: Proto-Indo-European, Turkish, Bulgarian, Xhosa, Mongolian, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Ancient Greek, Old Norse and Lango.
On the topic of cultural appropriation, Dankers said, “It would do nothing but harm to the world in which we live if we all became cultural purists and only did music from our own traditions.” As someone with German ancestry, he gave the example: “I would never say to a Japanese artist, ‘You are not allowed to perform the music of Bach because that’s my culture.’” On the contrary, “I can’t say I know of any flavor of music that hasn’t been influenced by some other culture,” he said. “Different influences make life richer.”
He emphasized the necessity of approaching another culture’s traditions with humility and respect, not making fun or intending to exploit. “I want to have the conversation,” he said, fearing a global trend toward nationalism. “I’m not afraid of hearing something I didn’t know before.”
Dankers explained that he makes a concerted effort to build community within the choir. “Every rehearsal begins with a meditation, and at the end, [members] are reminded not to leave before telling someone they enjoyed singing with them.” This has resulted in a group of people that genuinely love being together. “Yes, we’re all there to make good music, but we believe people who are connected make better music than people who are disconnected.”
The show is openly intended as an environmental statement, reminding audiences that water is sacred. In a region of the world where it is also becoming scarce, Dankers hopes that people will leave motivated to do what they can to protect it.
For this reason, they invited Roaring Fork Conservancy and other advocacy organizations to have a presence at the show. Rick Lofaro, executive director of the Roaring Fork Conservancy, was quoted in a press release saying, “This invisible resource is critical to everything we do. Yet, in a developed country, it’s easy to take it for granted. Music is a great way to help people think about the world around us, and to remind us that we are all connected in our need for this critical resource.”
“If you wouldn’t inject [a poison] into your own blood system, why are you putting it into our water?” Dankers said directly, in reference to herbicides and other chemicals which leach into our waterways.
“The Drop that Contained the Sea” will feature three showings this weekend: the first at Basalt Middle School on March 15, followed in Aspen at Harris Concert Hall on March 16, concluding at Glenwood Springs High School on March 17. All shows are at 7pm.Tickets are $20 online in advance, $25 at the door for adults, with discounted rates for youth and children. It’s highly recommended to purchase tickets in advance at www.aspenchoralsociety.org