Those that braved the cold weather to come out for this exciting concert were treated with a very special treat. This concert featured our combined Concert and Cadet Bands. Both bands played a variety of classic and contemporary pieces that was as fun for the audience as it was for the band. Mr. Wessel encourages these young musicians to play their best. Parents join in with students to maximize the sound and create a full sound while sharing their own love for music.
The combined Cadet and Concert Bands opened tonight's program with the March from Scipio. This arrangement by Bulla, is from the 1725 opera Scipio by George F. Handel (1685-1759). Handel actually composed over 70 operas and oratorios.
They then played All About a Cat by Grieg, arranged by Park. Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) is regarded as Norway's greatest composer and is well known for such works as his Piano Concerto and music for the play Peer Gynt. All About a Cat is based on a song for men's chorus which features the tenors "meowing" at various times. Tonight, that distinction was given to the alto sax section. The sounds of the scratching and hissing were made by the percussion section.
Our Guest Conductor, Mr. Doug Horne, directed the combined bands in Sunliner, by Eric Osterling (1926-2005). Osterling was a prolific composer as well as a music educator. His march Sunliner was written in 1980 and is considered a classic in the young band repertoire.
The next song played by the combined bands was Overture Variations by Stephen Bulla. Bulla has entered his third decade as chief arranger for the President's Own Marine Band. He has also worked with John Williams in transcribing Williams' music for band as well as working with other legends in the music world. He is also renowned for his association with the Salvation Army and as a performer and arranger for the New York Staff Band. Overture Variations is an example of the fine craftsmanship that is usually associated with his music. He has also written extensively for numerous television programs.
The Brass Choir played It is Well with My Soul which was penned by Horation G. Spafford after the loss of his four daughters in an 1873 accident at sea. His wife survived and the incident and Spafford himself was spared since last minute business in the United States kept him from traveling with his family. Just two years earlier he had experienced the tragic loss of his only son as well as being financially wiped out in the Chicago Fire. A few years later, Bliss wrote the melody forever linked with Spafford's words only to die a short time later in a train accident at the age of 38.
Rounding out the program the Concert Band played three familiar but varied pieces. First was Espana Cani by Pascual Marquina (1873-1948), a Spanish bandleader who composed extensively for bullfights.
They then played The Syncopated Clock by Leroy Anderson (1908-1976). He had an association with the Boston Pops for many decades and composed or arranged dozens of pieces for them. Incidentally, his famous song, Sleigh Ride, was composed during a heat wave.
The Concert Band then enjoyed playing the music of Mitch Leigh (born 1928). He wrote the Man of La Mancha, a play based on a book adaptation of Cervantes' famous novel of the would-be knight Don Quixote. The best known song from the musical, heard in the arrangement played this evening, is The Impossible Dream. Leigh graduated from Yale University having studied with German born composer Paul Hindemith. He also wrote the well known jingle for a Sara Lee commercial.
They then finished with Brighton Beach by William P. Latham (1917-2004). Latham was a student of the legendary educator and composer Howard Hanson, who founded the Eastman School of Music. The march Brighton Beach was composed in 1954 and is written in the style of the classic British march. The title refers to a resort on the southern English coast, which was the target of an IRA bombing in 1984, from which then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher escaped death by just two minutes.
Also playing tonight, the Wind Ensemble played And the Glory of the Lord, also by Handel, and I Sing the Mighty Power of God. As is tradition, the band ended with an encore that delighted the audience completely! Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Wessel on producing such an excellent and exciting concert.
The audience was then treated to the professional playing of The Brass Quintet. They played Three Elizabethan Madrigals, Living For Jesus, and the Hallelujah, Amen by Handel.
The Trumpet Choir played:
The Concert Band ended our program by playing:
The Concert Band ended our program by playing:
Congratulations to all Band members! Tonight's concert was exciting and inspirational!
Congratulations to all Band members! Tonight's concert was exciting and inspirational!
