From the cultures of St. Petersburg, Fla., and St. Petersburg, Russia, composer Paul Johnson has woven a cantata to celebrate the cities' pasts and futures as each marks a milestone.
By ROBERT HICKS
Published October 23, 2003
[Times photo 2001]
A. Paul Johnson, with his wife, Caryl Ann, says he wanted his piece to say “that no matter how different you think cultures are, there are still a lot of things that are similar.”
First, there is the sea, the force that stirs thunderstorms in Florida's St. Petersburg and snowstorms in Russia's St. Petersburg. And then, in composer Paul Johnson's compositional tribute to the cities, come poetry, faith, dance, history and, ultimately, the wish for peace and a hopeful future.
To honor the 100th and 300th anniversaries of St. Petersburg, Fla., and St. Petersburg, Russia, respectively, the Palladium Theater presents the world premiere of Johnson's cantata A Song of 2 Cities on Saturday and Sunday.
The 80-minute performance by instrumentalists and vocalists will blend Russian folk music and American jazz rhythms. Johnson draws parallels between Russian Orthodox Church chants and American gospel. He combines Russian classical oratorio and Latin beats, and he contrasts Russia's orchestral ballet tradition with American swing and bebop, specifically as heard in the 1940s at the Coliseum in St. Petersburg, Fla.
"At the root of those (Russian and American) sounds is an emotional, spiritual reaching out that is exactly the same," Johnson says. "As those two start to overlap and lay on top of each other, what at first seems so different eventually blends together in a wonderful symphonic texture. At least, I hope that's what people will get from it."
The cantata will feature an orchestra, Lutheran Church of the Cross School's children's chorus, organist Brent Douglas, Tre Donne Musicanti string trio, narrators Carole Johnson and Bob Heltman, and three vocal soloists: soprano Dee Vallejo, mezzo Sharon Lesley and baritone Joseph Finocchiaro, conducted by Susan Robinson.
There will also be an accompanying slide show with images from both cities, created by Karen Hand-Mason and Palladium executive director Paul Stavros.
The cantata, uniting vocal solos, choruses and orchestral elements to tell a story, is a form that long has fascinated Johnson.
"I've used it many times before," he says. "A cantata has an inherent dramatic flow. It allows me to look at the structure of the piece in terms of an unfolding story, even if it is an abstract story." Human voices are used as orchestral instruments and as a Greek chorus drawing from texts by Florida poets Susan Johnson and Peter Meinke, and from Russian poets Innokenty Annensky, Zinaida Hippius and Alexander Pushkin.
In the work, "There's a structure that has to unfold that takes us on a journey, a very specific one with highs and lows, parts to sit back and enjoy, parts to sit back and think about, parts that show concern, parts that exude celebration," he says.
Johnson highlights the musical contrasts in the two cultures so he can later focus on what they share.
"I think one of the main things I want to say in this piece is that no matter how different you think cultures are, there are still a lot of things that are similar," he says. "I think music is an excellent language to show that, because there are universal aspects to how we react emotionally to music."
PREVIEW: A Song of 2 Cities, 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg. $15 general, $12 seniors, $8 youths. 727 822-3590; or www.palladiumtheater.com
