From blank canvas, ‘Don Quixote’ comes to life
By Kelly Smith
Sometimes it helps to have a visual, especially
when telling a story. Enter Geff Strik, TFO’s first-ever
visual artist-in-residence.
For our performance of Strauss’ Don Quixote, Strik
started with the musical score, lots of handwritten
notes from Michael Francis, and 29 sketches. When
he picked up his paintbrush in his studio, he used
only one 10-by-5-foot canvas, painting each scene
on top of the other – the earlier works hidden underneath.
But they’re not totally gone. The whole process was
captured through video and carefully crafted into a
42-minute, high-definition art film synchronized to
the music, which
Maestro Francis
will conduct live on
stage.
The result is an innovative,
visually
stunning concert
that audiences can
see only one weekend
in October,
only at The Florida
Orchestra.
The visionary new
multimedia experience
will fill the big
screen, with The
Florida Orchestra
on stage underneath, at concerts Oct. 11-13, 2019,
in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. The concert
also features internationally acclaimed cello
soloist Maximilian Hornung, as well as Beethoven’s
Eroica Symphony.
The film was created locally, with support from
the community. It was produced by Siècle des Lumières,
LLC, with Executive Producers Phil Yost and
Geff Strik. It is supported and sponsored by Compass
Land and Title, Kahwa Coffee Roasters, Liz and
Todd Birge, and Oktane Media.
Strik set out to do his own interpretation of Strauss’
Don Quixote, based on Cervantes’ novel that has inspired
writers, artists and composers for hundreds
THE FLORIDA OR 50 CHESTRA | 2019-2020
of years. Richard Strauss composed his tone poem
for cello and orchestra in 1897, representing Don
Quixote musically through the cello (Hornung) and
Sancho Panza through the viola (Principal Viola
Derek Mosloff).
TFO’s commitment to exactly this kind of innovation,
collaboration, and accessibility is why TFO
named Strik as our first-ever visual artist-in-residence.
“Innovation is a key part of what we do. It’s in our
DNA,” said Mark Cantrell, TFO President & CEO.
“We believe no other American orchestra is doing
anything like this
at this level. We are
leading the way, giving
audiences new
ways to engage with
the music.”
This project is TFO’s
second collaboration
with Geff Strik,
an internationally
acclaimed French
artist now living in
St. Petersburg. Last
season, a multimedia
experience with
live orchestra told
the story of Schoenberg’s
Transfigured
Night (Verklarte
Nacht), based on a poem by Richard Dehmel. The
performance received a standing ovation all three
nights.
In connection with this concert, The Dalí Museum
will host Don Quixote, Dalí & The Florida Orchestra,
a free event featuring Dalí Museum Director
Dr. Hank Hine moderating a discussion with Maestro
Francis and Strik about how they developed
the multimedia experience. The event will include
a talk about Salvador Dalí’s Don Quixote illustrations
along with live music by TFO guest artist cellist
Maximilian Hornung on Thursday, Oct. 10, at
10:30 am at The Dalí Museum.