Leonardtown Public Relations and Events Coordinator Maria Fleming introduces The Clazzical Project at the Sept. 5 concert.
Leonardtown, MD — Music has filled Leonardtown all summer long. The many events on the town square have turned the small town into a big music venue. With the official end of summer near an end on Labor Day weekend Saturday, the music ended on a high note with talented and clever The Clazzical Project.
Leonardtown Public Relations and Events Coordinator Maria Fleming introduced The Clazzical Project by saying: “They love to play music but they also love to play with music.” Indeed that is exactly what the group does – they take classical music and give it a jazzy or popular interpretation.
Clazzical Project consists of Don Stapleson (shown at left) on flute, Peter Fields on guitar and Fred Lieder on cello. Stapleson serves as the witting interpreter of the music and keeps the program flowing. Examples of their clever interpretation of classical music is taking Johannes Brahms Symphony #1 and converting it with Billy Joel influences.
Stapleson keeps the audience in stitches by making it seem as if he is contemporaneously talking to the composers via “land line,” cell phone and email.
Other adaptations played for the Leonardtown audience included Johann Sebastian Bach’s composition in B-string and changing it to a Bossa Nova composition in B-string. Antonia Vivaldi’s “Winter” was given a Van Morrison feel and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake was changed as if adapted by Herbie Hancock.
The Clazzical Project opened the first of their two sets with a magical version of the traditional English folk song Greensleeves, which Stapleson assured the audience was indeed not influenced by Henry VIII. The opening portended a concert-long music (and history) lesson for everyone in attendance.
The Clazzical Project concert was sponsored by the Commissioners of Leonardtown and the St. Mary’s County Arts Council.
Contact Dick Myers at dick.myers@thebaynet.com
