Blue Shades-Frank Techeli

After a night of getting trounced at the St. Louis Star Ball, I went to my hotel room and stumbled across Gary Gackstatter's CHACO CANYON PROJECT online.  The photos of an ancient civilization's ruins in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico gripped me like nothing had before!  The music began swirling in my head ad I just had to get home to my piano and start writing!  It was finished in three months.  Take the journey through the 1st Movement of "An Anasazi Wonder" symphony!

Symphony #2

Chaco Canyon

Ledesma -The Trek (From "An Anasazi Wonder" Symphony)

If you enjoy lush chordal strings and a contrapuntal feast of melodic lines passing from section to section, then there is much here to enjoy. If you want more of the dissonances that made the symphonies of the turn of the century less audience friendly, then you can cross anything Ledesma writes from your list. The melodic content is rich and inspiring and this music takes what was good in orchestral music around the turn into the twentieth century and stays the course at the risk of not being "modern enough." There are ample challenges for the musicians as well, and while the bombast may be lacking in this adagio, there are memorable themes to enjoy!

Ledesma - Ruhevoll (from the 1st symphony)

This is the 2nd movement of my 1st symphony.  "Marches" employs the many faces marching music takes, from the exciting parade route through the "oom-pah" style of a small trio, to the somber reality of the funeral march.

Ledesma - Marches (From the 1st Symphony)

This is the 3rd movement to the 1 symphony.  It's mostly humorous and playful with an adagio gracing it's center.  The sound man likes this movement the best, but it was the most difficult to finish.

Symphony #1

Scherzo-Langsam-Andante

Ledesma - Scherzo - Langsam - Andante (fron the 1st Symphony)

This MOLTO ADAGIO completes the 1st symphony.  A lush string chorale spiced with woodwinds hands the opening over to a most gorgeous duet between the oboe and English horn that must be heard to be believed.  It is a very emotional conclusion that has spots of sonic brilliance, especially when the horns and trumpets are pushed to their limits on their tonguing skills.  The Ruhevoll is recapped as a reminder of where this journey originated, and the final morendo has the strings hand the last word to a solo contrabassoon.

Ledesma - Molto Adagio (from the 1st Symphony)

Artur Rubinstein plays Chopin CD 10

Artur Rubinstein plays Chopin

Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 11, B. 53- Romance

Trio Op. 99

Schubert Piano Trio in B flat - Andante un poco mosso

Leopold Stokowski conducts the RCA Victor Symphony

Dvorak, Smetana Disc 8

Smetana: The Moldau (From "Ma Vlast")

Dvorak Symphony Nr. 9, : Largo

I am a composer of orchestral music as well as a music and Theology professor.

P. Steven Ledesma

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