Celebrated composer comes to Colorado to premiere new symphony

Colorado Music Festival brings some of the best classical music to Boulder throughout the summer. The Festival has also become a place to debut new classical works. One premiere this summer brings together one of the most significant current composers with a world renown quartet based in Boulder.

Gabriela Lena Frank traveled to Boulder for final rehearsals of her new work. It’s the first time she heard it played.

“It’s super addictive the process of finally getting to hear this music that you’ve been living with sometimes for years,” she told CBS News Colorado.

Lena Frank is one of the few women composing classical music and she brings her Latin heritage to her work, including the new piece.

“‘Kachkaniraqmi’ means ‘I still exist’ which is a celebratory way of saying that in spite of all the hardships the cultures of Peru have gone through, they still thrive. They still survive,” Lena Frank explained.

The piece is four movements and features the Takács String Quartet embedded within a larger string orchestra. The Takács is a grammy award winning string quartet based in Boulder at the University of Colorado. This is the 50th anniversary for the quartet.

“I think it’s particularly exciting that we’re premiering a new work, and we’re commissioning new composers, and embracing how a string quartet can be meaningful in our world,” said Harumi Rhodes, Second Violinist with the Takács.

Rhodes is long time friends with Lena Frank, so collaborating on a symphony seemed like a natural project. The Takács world is usually limited to four musicians. They are very used to working together.

“So bringing our little village of four into a larger community, into the orchestral context is a very exciting opportunity and an opportunity for us to expand our voices and the range of colors and characters we can make,” Rhodes explained.

It’s also fairly rare. There aren’t many concertos composed for this combination. One of the challenges that Lena Frank faced was not allowing the quartet to get lost in the bigger sound of the orchestra.

“Yea, it’s complex, but that’s my job,” she said matter-of-factly.

A job well done in music that shows deep emotion and celebrates each voice of the string quartet. While the piece is inspired by Peru, Lena Frank hopes that audiences will be transported to someplace meaningful to them. 

LINK: For Tickets to Colorado Music Festival 

The Colorado Music Festival runs through August 4, 2024 at the Chautauqua Auditorium in Boulder, Colorado.