Lakota Music Project

by Delta David Gier, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra

Overview

The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra's Lakota Music Project was spearheaded by the orchestra's conductor, Delta David Gier, and leaders of the Lakota and Dakota Native American communities. The goal was to build artistic and cultural bridges between the two communities. The process of getting the project off the ground was complex, but it has been in existence since the mid-2000s decade and has spawned concerts of various kinds, including some by groups other than the symphony. Here, the South Dakota Symphony performs works commissioned as part of the project by both Native American and non-Native composers; the latter are represented by the symphony's oboist, Jeffrey Paul, who added parts for Lakota flute and song to earlier compositions. All of the music mixes the two traditions but, more importantly, does so in different ways. Two of the pieces involve Lakota choirs singing in traditional style, and these are riveting. Brent Michael Davids' Black Hills Olowan juxtaposes modernist orchestral passages with a traditional song from the Creekside Singers, and the song is also mixed with an orchestral rendition in a fascinating kind of simultaneous dialogue. Equally absorbing is the arrangement by Ted Wiprud of Amazing Grace, in the Lakota language, for Native American flute and singers. Wiprud was the successor as the orchestra's resident composer to Chickasaw composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, represented himself here by the orchestral song cycle Waktegli OlowaÅ? ("Victory Songs"), with linked songs that build to a powerful climax. The Lakota Music Project is unlike anything else attempted by an American orchestra, and it has generated music that deserves multiple hearings and, indeed, further performances. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	11/11/2022
Label:	INNOVA RECORDS
UPC:	0726708608125

Tracks

1. Black Hills Olowan
2. Wind on Clear Lake
3. Victory Songs (Wakt¿¿gli Ol¿¿wa¿¿)~I. Introduction
4. Victory Songs (Wakt¿¿gli Ol¿¿wa¿¿)~II. Red Cloud (Mahp¿¿ya ¿¿ta)
5. Victory Songs (Wakt¿¿gli Ol¿¿wa¿¿)~III. Two-Strike (N¿¿m Kahp¿¿)
6. Victory Songs (Wakt¿¿gli Ol¿¿wa¿¿)~IV. Galll (Phiz¿¿)
7. Victory Songs (Wakt¿¿gli Ol¿¿wa¿¿)~V. Crazy Horse (Tha¿¿¿¿¿¿ke Witk¿¿)
8. Victory Songs (Wakt¿¿gli Ol¿¿wa¿¿)~VI. Sitting Bull (Thath¿¿¿¿ka ¿¿yotake)
9. Desert Wind
10. Amazing Grace

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Delta David Gier   Primary Artist,Conductor
South Dakota Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Robert Erhard   Cello
Jeffrey Paul II   Guitar
Creekside Singers   Vocal Ensemble
Daniel Kitchens   Horn
Doosook Kim   Violin
Mark Nelson   Trumpet
Sharon Mautner-Rodgers   Cello
Stephen L. Bryant   Bass Baritone
Bryan Akipa   Native American Flute

Technical Credits

Theodore Wiprud   Composer
Tim Igel   Recording Manager
Jeffrey Paul II   Composer
Laurie Bertrand   Design
Chris Campbell   Recording Director
Jamey Lamar   Engineer
Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate   Composer
Oscar Howe   Artwork
Peter Folliard   Engineer,Producer
Brent Michael Davids   Composer
Delta David Gier   Executive Producer