Cleveland Winds

Lights and Legends – March 4, 2013

The Cleveland Winds, under the direction of Birch Browning, concludes its fourth season on Monday, March 4, 2013 at 7:30 PM in Waetjen Auditorium on the campus of Cleveland State University. 

The Bay High School Symphonic Band, under the direction of Darren Allen, will perform on the first portion of the concert. Their repertoire will include Vaughn Williams’ English Folk Song Suite, Albert Davis’ El Camino Real and Mark Williams’ Variants On A Nautical Hymn.

The “Legends” portion of the Cleveland Winds’ concert repertoire will include Ralph Vaughn Williams’ Toccata Marziale and Gustav Holst’s First Suite in E-Flat. The “Lights” portion will include John Mackey’s Aurora Awakes and Frank Ticheli’s Symphony No. 2. (The movements in the symphony are “Shooting Stars,” “Dreams Under a New Moon,” and “Apollo Unleashed.”)

Parking is free in the central garage if you tell them that you are here for the CSU concert.

Program Notes

Toccata Marziale, written in 1924, was Vaughan Williams’s second work for military and is one of the most significant contributions to the wind band literature. The word “toccata” comes from the Italian “toccare,” meaning “to touch,” hence its association with the early Baroque virtuouso keyboard pieces written by Frescobaldi and others. Toccata Marziale is a contrapunctal masterpiece for wind ensemble, in which textures are juxtaposed in massed effects with large sectoins of winds and brasses. A rhythmic vigor, as suggested by the title, permeates the piece and Vaughan Williams’s brilliant scoring reveals the fundamental properties of the band’s sonority and its instrumental virtuosity and color. (Notes by Frederick Fennell.)

2009 marks the 100th anniversary of the First Suite in E-flat by Gustav Holst, now considered one of the masterworks and cornerstones of the band literature. Although completed in 1909, the suite didn’t receive its official premiere until 11 years later on June 23rd, 1920, by an ensemble of 165 musicians at the Royal Military School of Music at Kneller Hall. However, the work was originally conceived to be performed by ensembles significantly smaller than the one at Kneller Hall. There are three movements in the suite: Chaconne, Intermezzo, and March. Holst writes, “As each movement is founded on the same phrase, it is requested that the suite be played right through without a break.” The Chaconne begins with a ground bass reminiscent of those written by Henry Purcell or William Byrd. The Intermezzo is light and brisk and features soloistic passages for the cornet, oboe and clarinet. Holst prominently displays the agility and sensitivity of the wind band through transparent textures and passages where the melody and accompaniment are woven into a variety of instrumental settings. The March begins suddenly. It consists of two themes, the first of which, performed by brass choir and percussion, is a march light in character. The second theme is dominated by the woodwinds and is composed of a long, lyrical line reminiscent of the original Chaconne melody. The movement concludes with both themes intertwining as the band crescendos to a climax. (Program Note by Esmail Khalili.)

Aurora – the Roman goddess of the dawn – is a mythological figure frequently associated with beauty and light. Also known as Eos (her Greek analogue), Aurora would rise each morning and stream across the sky, heralding the coming of her brother Sol, the sun. Though she is herself among the lesser deities of Roman and Greek mythologies, her cultural influence has persevered, most notably in the naming of the vibrant flashes of light that occur in Arctic and Antarctic regions – the Aurora Borealis and Aurora Australis. John Mackey’s Aurora Awakes is, thus, a piece about the heralding of the coming of light. (Program note by Jake Wallace, used with permission.)

The three movements of Symphony No. 2 refer to celestial light—Shooting Stars, the Moon, and the Sun. Although the title tor the first movement, ‘’Shooting Stars,” came after its completion, I was imagining such quick flashes of color throughout the creative process. The second movement, “Dreams Under a New Moon,’’ depicts a kind of journey of the soul as represented by a series of dreams. The finale, “Apollo Unleashed,” is perhaps the most wide-ranging movement of the symphony, and certainly the most difficult to convey in words. On the one hand, the image of Apollo, the powerful ancient god of the sun, inspired not only the movement’s title, but also its blazing energy. On the other hand, its boisterous nature is also tempered and enriched by another, more sublime force, Bach’s Chorale BWV 433. This chorale —a favorite of the dedicatee—serves as a kind of spiritual anchor, giving a soul to the gregarious foreground events.

My second symphony is dedicated to James E. Croft upon his retirement as Director of Bands at Florida State University in 2003. (Note by Frank Ticheli.)

No Strings Attached – November 19, 2012

The Cleveland Winds, under the direction of Birch Browning, kicks off its fourth season on Monday, November 19, 2012 at 7 PM in Waetjen Auditorium on the campus of Cleveland State University. (Notice the early start time!) This concert will feature music originally written for other performance ensembles–orchestra, brass band, and piano–that has been transcribed for wind band.

The Mercyhurst University Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Scott Meier, will perform on the first portion of the concert. Their repertoire will include Graham Lloyd’s Fanfare for Freedom, Mark Camphouse’s A Movement for Rosa, and John Phillip Sousa’s The Liberty Bell March.

The Cleveland Winds’ concert repertoire will include transcriptions of Berlioz’ Roman Carnival Overture, Vaughan Williams’ Variations for Wind Band, Ives’ The Alcotts, and the Finale from Symphony No. 5 by Shostakovich.

Parking is free in the central garage if you tell them that you are here for the CSU concert.

Visions of Light, March 5, 2012, 8 PM

The Cleveland Winds, under the direction of Birch Browning, concludes its third season with a concert on Monday, March 5, 2012 at 8 PM in Waetjen Auditorium on the campus of Cleveland State University. This concert will feature the music of composer Eric Ewazen. Professor Ewazen will be in residence at both CSU and CIM during his visit.

The University Circle Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Gary M. Ciepluch, will perform on the first portion of the concert. They will feature two soloists. Oboist Kelly Mozeik will perform a setting of Eric Ewazen’s Down a River of Time, in a transcription for wind band by Daniel Alt. Bassoonist Anthony Slusser will be the soloist on Jurriaan Andriessen’s Concertino for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble.

The Cleveland Winds’ concert repertoire will include CSU composer Andrew Rindfleisch’s Mr. Atlas and Eric Ewazen’s Visions of Light: A Concerto for Tenor Trombone and Wind Ensemble. The soloist will be Cleveland Orchestra Assistant Principal Trombone Shachar Israel.

Program Notes Read more