The Cornell University Symphonic Band, conducted by James Patrick Miller, and the Cornell University Wind Ensemble, conducted by Cynthia Johnston Turner, will present a joint concert Saturday, Dec. 11, at 8 p.m. in Ford Hall, within the James J. Whalen Center for Music at Ithaca College. Featured on the program will be classic pieces for wind band by John Philip Sousa, Alfred Reed and Charles Gounod, as well as recently written pieces by rising composers.
The symphonic band will open the concert with a series of pieces arranged around the theme "Where the Wild Things Are." Pieces performed will include "Magneticfireflies" by Augusta Read Thomas, "Alligator Alley" by Michael Daugherty, "The Pride of the Wolverines" by John Philip Sousa and "Dinosaurs" by Daniel Bukvich. The symphonic band's portion of the concert will close with Alfred Reed's "Russian Christmas Music," a seasonal favorite. Based on traditional Eastern Orthodox liturgical music, this magisterial work includes challenging passages for the entire orchestra (especially the brass sections), building from a simple clarinet melody to one of the most thundering conclusions ever written for winds.
The Wind Ensemble will open its portion of the concert with Charles Gounod's "Petite Symphony," followed by two works by young composers: Catharina Palmer's "Tones" (1998) and Kyle Blaha's "Soft" (2004). This will be followed by Elliot Del Borgo's "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night," based on a Dylan Thomas poem of the same name; it will be preceded by a reading of the poem by G. Peter Lepage, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The next piece, "Chorale and Alleluia" by Howard Hanson, will be guest conducted by Marice Stith, professor emeritus and former director of bands at Cornell from 1966 to 1989. During his tenure, Stith taught brass instruments and a course in electronic music and recording technology and recorded approximately 20 concerts per year for the Department of Music. The concert will close with Cindy McTee's "Timepiece."
Inspired by Stéphane Mallarmé's French poem, Debussy's "L'apres midi d'un faune" takes listeners on a sensual journey into the mind of a faun (half-man, half-goat) and his desire to seduce two "rosy flesh" nymphs on a sultry afternoon. Debussy, often seen as being the forerunner of the 20th century's radical experimentation with musical tradition, conjured a piece without form -- a piece that disregards traditional composition rules of harmony, structure, rhythm and theme. The continuously changing, shifting feel of the music was revolutionary at the time of its composition and remains as interesting and as enjoyable to listen to today as it did then.
Written during approximately the same period as "L'apres midi d'un faune" and like that piece, taking its inspiration from a non-musical source (in this case, a series of watercolors by Victor Hartman), "Pictures at an Exhibition" is one of the most famous works in the orchestral repertoire. Originally conceived as a set of piano pieces, "Pictures" has been orchestrated by several composers, most famously by Maurice Ravel, who completed the version heard on this program and who is widely considered a master at using orchestral resources in unique and beautiful ways. The individual movements of "Pictures" are held together by the instantly recognizable "Promenade" theme, which opens the piece and recurs throughout.
Blaha's "Light (Dark)" received a 2004 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award. The composer writes: "'Light (Dark)' was written during my final year of undergraduate study at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. My idea for this piece was to create a work that focuses solely on color and little on melody. The piece is based on contrast displayed through instrumental choices and gestures."
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