Athens, Ga. – A song cycle by the University of Georgia’s Roger C. Vogel, “Things Fall Apart” will air on WUGA-TV, the public television station owned and operated by UGA, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m., Nov. 23 at 4 p.m., Nov. 24 at 10 p.m., Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 2 at 11 p.m. The presentation is based on excerpts from Chinua Achebe’s novel of the same name. The concert premiered in the Ramsey Concert Hall at the UGA Performing Arts Center in September.
The English-language novel “Things Fall Apart” was written by Achebe, a Nigerian author. Originally published in 1958, the narrative tells the story of Okonkwo, a leader and wrestling champion from his village. The plot follows a series of unfortunate events, including the coming of European government and religion, which end tragically with Okonkwo’s self-inflicted death.
Vogel’s song cycle, “Things Fall Apart,” was written in 2011 and commissioned by international bass-baritone soloist Odekhiren Amaize, an associate professor at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Amaize has served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar at the Moscow State Conservatory and has performed widely throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. His performance at UGA is supported by a department invited lecturer grant from the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts.
“It was especially rewarding to work with Odekhiren Amaize in selecting the excerpts to best portray the events, and it was challenging to write music that has some of the exotic character of Nigerian music,” said Vogel, professor emeritus in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music who joined the UGA faculty in 1976. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he has written more than 100 original works for a wide variety of performance, publishing and recording projects.
“Things Fall Apart” was performed by Amaize; Angela Jones-Reus, flute; Martha Thomas, piano; and Todd Mueller, percussion.
The television project was produced by Bill Evelyn with additional support from UGA’s Office of Broadcast, Video and Photography.
WUGA-TV is operated by the University of Georgia in partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting. Funding for WUGA-TV and its affiliated radio station WUGA-FM is provided in part through sponsorships, underwriting and listener contributions. For more information on WUGA-TV, see www.wugatv.org.
