Jessie Montgomery's "Soul Force" Performed by Santa Rosa Orchestra

It's always exciting to hear a new composition by a contemporary composer.  Last evening, the Santa Rosa Orchestra performed Jessie Montgomery's "Soul Force" at the Weil Center at Sonoma State.  Montgomery (b.  US 1981) is a renowned violinist and composer.  She's been honored with the Leonard Bernstein Award and The Sphinx Medal of Excellence.  The New York Philharmonic has been chosen as one of the composers for "Project 19" marking the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment granting the right to vote for women.  "Soul Force" was commissioned by the Dream Unfinished, a benefit for civil rights and premiered in New York City 2015.   It's an innovative, one-movement symphonic work that is a coalescence of classical structure and contemporary styles such as jazz and R+B.  The surprising piece begins with percussive staccato bursts followed by moments of complete silences leading into a beckoning clarinet solo syncopated by sharp popping sounds that intimate gunshots.  A mounting horn section beckons a timpani of percussive snapping sounds, ringing off cymbals, rolling  snare drums, and clopping of the glockenspiel.  There's a notion of continuous interruptions.  These percussive bursts fail to dismantle the orchestration as it puts forth a steadfast, marching sensibility which speaks to an indomitable attitude.  Montgomery stated, "The music takes on a form of a march which begins with a single voice and gains as it rises to a triumphant goal."  There is an overall feeling of positivity and strength despite persisting confrontations.  And, a sense of resiliency comes through harmoniously with its  mounting wind section.  The bravado blend of rich sounds emit from tubas, bassinets, horns, flute and oboes rise into a clarion sounding cry.   Montgomery explains having named her preeminent "Soul Force" composition, "I have drawn the work's title from Dr. Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech in which he states: 'We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence.  Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force."