The Denver Post
June 30, 2011
Music Festival Proves Stellar at Boulder’s Chautauqua
by Sabine Kortals
“What brought the program to its memorable close was Christie's bold, unflinching approach to the broadly sweeping phrases in Dave and Chris Brubeck's Ansel Adams: America. With 100-plus stunning photos by the time-honored nature photographer seamlessly projected behind the orchestra, the audiovisual impact of the performance were captivating”… read the full article here.
Baltimore Sun
February 13, 2010
Pictures at the Symphony: BSO Performs Works by Mussorgsky, Hindemith and Brubeck
by Tim Smith
”The cool thing was finding such a big crowd at the Meyerhoff to hear a hefty program of visual art-inspired works performed by The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. The presence of the Brubeck name on the bill no doubt generated some of the turnout....the work opened with a promising, atmospheric brass chorale.... richly orchestrated...very pleasant, and all very ably and sensitively performed.”… read the full article here.
Symphony Magazine
September-October 2009
Measure by Measure
by Melinda Bargreen
“Sometimes a commission is more than a piece of music: it?s a boost for a whole community. That was the case this past April, when California?s Stockton Symphony Orchestra presented the world premiere of Ansel Adams: America, a new multimedia work by Dave Brubeck and his son, Chris, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death of renowned California nature photographer Adams, whose images are projected on a screen in the performances…The Stockton premiere performances sold out and exceeded all budget expectations. But more important than financial success was the enormous boost in civic pride”… read the full article here.
The Californian.com
2009
Monterey Symphony Breaks Ticket Sales Record
“The three-concert set resulted in the highest-grossing ticket sales event in the 64 years the Monterey Symphony has presented concerts.”
The Monterey County Herald
2009
Brubeck’s Jazz-Inspired Tribute to Ansel Adams a Stunning Achievement
"The music served as a pleasing contemplation and reflection of specific themes of the projected sequences, which were manually operated allowing [Maestro] Bragado some interpretive autonomy in tempos. In the manner of a neoclassical film score, the Brubeck piece blended a variety of elements — classical, Latin and some jazz — with a range of dynamics and moods that connected to the impact of the images."
San Francisco Examiner
April 13, 2009
Sacramento Phil Dazzles the Audience
“The key stone piece for the evening was the work by Dave and Chris Brubeck, “Ansel Adams: America.” This was a multi-media piece that projected Ansel Adams photographs in conjunction with the music. … The music followed the visual presentation which began with views of Yosemite – its waterfalls, Half-Dome and El Capitan. … This composition revolved around an opening theme which morphed into sounds to support the fury of the falls, … the majesty of Yosemite Valley and the grandeur of the Southwestern desert. The Brubecks took the audience on an enthralling trip though the photographs of Mr. Adams. The orchestra performed this work admirably with excellent ensemble, intonation and dynamic contrasts. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. One the audience will not forget. This work received a much deserved standing ovation. Again, bravo!”
Sacramento Press
April 13, 2009
Brubeck “Ansel Adams: America” puts Sacramento on the Musical Landscape
by J.T. Long
“Sacramento Philharmonic’s sold out presentation of “Brubeck Ansel Adams: America” on Saturday night set a new standard for classical music. By commissioning an original composition by one of the premier jazz and classical father-son duos in the world set to a backdrop of images by one of the most famous nature photographers of all time… Sacramento’s orchestra raised the stature of the city and exposed a new audience to the possibilities of classical music. …The result is a piece that fills the senses while evoking nostalgia and hope. As majestic images of Half Dome and Horsetail Falls fade in and out on a giant screen, the music builds and then melts to mirror the majesty of a church or echoes the Southwestern style as a mission takes the screen. When the final moonlit mountain went dark, the music stopped and the full house erupted. The effect is both inspiring and humbling.”… read the full article here.
The Sacramento Bee
April 13, 2009
Philharmonic is Strong in Works by Native Sons
by Edward Ortiz
“The work (Ansel Adams: America) fits squarely in a neoclassical vein and honors Adams the budding pianist as much as the legendary photographer. It proved an episodic work offering melodic lines mirroring some of Dave Brubeck's jazz music. The work asks much from horns and woodwinds. These set an elegiac tone that evolved into a whimsical midsection…The brief moments of piano sprinkled throughout proved most interesting. These effectively conjured the spirit of Adams and deeply underscored the finely shaped visual contrasts of Adams' black-and-white images.”
The Stockton Record
April 4, 2009
Music, Art blend for Magical Evening of Symphony
by Donald W. Blount
“In ‘Ansel Adams: America’, the 88-year-old father and 57-year-old son (Dave and Chris Brubeck) have created a 22-minute composition that works in concert (no pun intended) with 101 projected images of Ansel Adams' photographs. It would be inaccurate and inappropriate to compare this to a score of a movie or slideshow; it is far from that. Instead, it's a walk through some of the most stunning natural wonders in the United States as well as photographs of Adams himself with music that envelops the listener and causes him or her to fly away to the various destinations shown. It is a magical interplay between the auditory and the visual.”
NPR: All Things Considered
April 2, 2009
Dave Brubeck: Composing Ansel Adams
by Paul Conley
"El Capitan, Half Dome, Bridal Veil Fall — millions have discovered these now-familiar landmarks of California's Yosemite Valley through the extraordinary black-and-white photographs of Ansel Adams. Now another American icon has taken Adams' photographs and set them to music. Pianist and jazz legend Dave Brubeck has co-written a new orchestral work with his son, Chris, titled "Ansel Adams: America."… read and listen to the full article by here.