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Purdue News
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April 20, 2004 Composer Robert Jager directs season-end concertsWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Conductor and composer Robert Jager, who is as legendary for his sense of humor as for his music that challenges musicians, gets the Elliott Hall spotlight on Saturday and Sunday (4/24-25) in two season-ending concerts. The Varsity, Collegiate and Purdue Concert bands will be featured at an 8 p.m. concert on Saturday (4/24) in the Elliott Hall of Music. The Purdue Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra will perform there at 2:30 p.m. Sunday (4/25). Admission to both events is free. On Sunday, Jager will share the spotlight with Purdue Concerto Competition winner Matt Janszen, who will perform Gershwin's Concerto in F on piano with the orchestra. "If there's one word that describes Jager's music, it's vitality," says Bill Kisinger, who directs the Collegiate Concert Band. "Another common thread among his pieces is that they always have unique twists because of the constant meter changes." Meter changes tend to be very common in contemporary compositions, but with Jager, Kisinger says, "They don't get in the way of the music. The music always flows." The Collegiate Band, performing with two other concert bands on Saturday night, will present Jager's "To Music," a modern reflection on Franz Schubert's 19th century German art song "An Die Musik." "It's a deep, emotional piece with a few fragments related to Schubert, but it's definitely Jager, with lot of short two- and three-measure solos. It's an incredibly artistic piece," Kisinger says. For Symphonic Band director Jay Gephart, the chance to work with work with Jager is the culmination of a dream that began when Gephart was a youngster. Jager's "Third Suite" was one of the first band pieces Gephart played as a student 30 years ago. "I grew up with an incredible amount of admiration for Robert Jager, who's one of the great composers for band in the 20th century," Gephart says. Gephart picked Jager's "Symphonia Noblissima" for the Sunday concert. "It's one of his earlier compositions," Gephart says. "I heard it played at Hobart High School many years ago and have loved it ever since. He's written hundreds of works since then, but for me ‘'Symphonia Noblissima' is my favorite. I love the melody and the beautiful horn writing. This is one of those dream pieces. I knew that when I had a band with a horn section capable of playing it, I would do it. With the Purdue Symphonic Band, I have that horn section for sure." Both the weekend concerts have musical textures that stretch beyond Jager's original works. The Purdue Concert Band will perform a John Philip Sousa march, "The Gallant Seventh," as well as Percy Grainger's Irish ode to "Ye Banks and Braes O'Bonnie Doon." Kisinger's Collegiate Band also offers medleys of works by George Gershwin and Aaron Copland. The Varsity Band, directed by Pamela Nave, will perform Ralph Vaughn Williams' arrangements by Gustav Holst from "The Planets." Sunday's performance will be Janszen's first with a full orchestra. "I'm just extremely excited about it," Janszen says. "I've always been so fascinated by concertos and attracted to them, but you can learn one and half the piece is not there if there's no orchestral accompaniment." Classically trained on piano from a young age, Janszen started developing an interest in jazz once he came to Purdue. In 2003, he first performed the Gershwin concerto in the competition but didn't win. Refining the piece and presenting it again in 2004 brought Janszen good luck. Gephart describes Janszen as "a very aggressive pianist, and the Gershwin piece requires that. But there are also passages that allow him to display his expressive side. The character of the composition changes a lot and Matt is able to bring about that character in every way." Although Janszen will finish his degree work in interdisciplinary engineering, he plans on doing master's studies in film scoring. "I foresee a really wonderful career related to music for Matt," Gephart says. "He's one of those students whose life wouldn't be complete without music." Writer: Kathy Matter, (765) 496-6785, kcmatter@purdue.edu Sources: Jay Gephart, (765) 494-7886, jsgephart@purdue.edu Matt Janszen, mjanszen@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Related Web site:
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