Review

Sunday’s Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra concert at Artpark, conducted by Robert Franz, was a feast for the senses.Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai , a dignified and handsome man with braided hair, played music that sounded like the chirping of birds and, on occasion, the cries of coyotes.Real birds joined in, creating impromptu duets that made the audience smile. When Nakai played a concerto movement called ‘Crow Smoke: ’shaping worlds as fire burns…’,’ the notes mingled with the aroma of smoke from the charcoal grill outside, where the concession folks were grilling burgers.Outside, a gentle breeze blew. A woman listening on the lawn said that the music sounded as if it came not from the amphitheater, but from the hills.The concert, a celebration of Native American music, was supposed to have included not only Nakai – recognized as the world’s foremost Native American flutist – but also the Black Lodge Singers. At the last minute the singers, for unclea (more…)