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Show Ststo ?ress i". ' fl.Hv v J ' v-- ;""-;; - ' J -zS.vtl ;' . ' - 'l ,r W m ri v I , , . Inspires Artist These beautiful sandstone cliffs in Parowan Canyon will be featured in ceremonies to be staged Saturday in honor of famed French Composer Olivier Messiaen. Special Program slated Saturday to honor com poser, area's beauty A dedication, photograph exhibit, concert and reception have been planned for Saturday, August 5, in a dedicatory salute to famous European composer Olivier Messiaen. A Parowan mountain will be named , for French composer Messiaen who visited southern Utah in 1973. Messiaen thought it to be one of the most beautiful parts of the country. The rainbow colors, the sights, the sounds, smells and the songs of native birds stimulated his imagination and impelled him to write the great symphony, "From the Canyons to the Stars." ' Schedule of events The dedicatory activities surrounding this composition and the naming of the mountain in his honor will begin at 6 p.m. At that time a dedication of the white cliffs, eight miles from the center of town up Parowan Canyon, will take place. A bronze plaque will be placed at the foot of the cliffs to mark the site. At 7:30 p.m. a photographic exhibit of Southern Utah created in 1977 by Jean Cartier of New York City will go on display at the Parowan High School Foyer. At 8 p.m. a concert featuring "Songs of Heaven and Earth" by Olivier Messiaen will be held. The work, for piano and voice, will be performed by the eminent musicians, Lowell and Naomi Farr at Parowan High School. Reception slated The evening activities will be conducted with an outdoor reception in honor of Messiaen to be held at 195 South Main Street in Parowan. Messiaen was born at Avignon, France December 10, 1908. His background was intellectual and artistic. His mother was a poetess and his father was a scholar of English and a translator of Shakespeare. As a child of eight, he composed music and at the age of eleven he entered the Paris Conservatory of Music. He was a professor at the Conservatory and was the organist for many years at the Trinity Church in Paris. He has written a variety of music: for the organ, choral and orchestral works, chamber music, songs, and piano music. During his captivity in a German person camp he wrote the celebrated "Quartet for the End of Time," which he performed with fellow prinsoners in the camp. He drew inspiration for his music from deep communication with nature and considered it to be a manifestation of God's glory. Promoted events Mr. and Mrs. E. T. Whittaker, who have organized and promoted the dedication expressed that "it was eminently fitting that we name one of our beatuiful mountain peaks for an artist who contributed to an image of Utah as an exciting and unusual . state." The activities of the day are open to the public and all are encouraged to attend and participate. The event is of significant importance im-portance that Governor Scott M. Matheson has declared Saturday, Aug. 5, "Oliver Messiaen and the Beauty of Sothern Utah Day," and urged "the people of Utah to join me in this special tribute." A copy of the Proclamation can be found elsewhere in this issue of the Record. |