January 29, 2009
Music critic Joshua Kosman writes:
“No one ever accused the members of the Grateful Dead of not thinking big – multihour jam sessions are the proof of that – but the band’s music has never been subjected to full symphonic treatment.
“Composer Lee Johnson’s Symphony No. 6, performed by the California Symphony on Tuesday night at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, aims to rectify that oversight.
“Actually, “symphonic” is something of a misnomer, if we take that term to suggest the kind of intricate thematic treatment favored by Beethoven, Bruckner and Shostakovich. Johnson’s 50-minute opus is more of an orchestral suite, taking 10 songs from the Grateful Dead catalog and dressing them up in full orchestral regalia….”
Download a PDF for the full story
