Purdue Bands' winter music gala: 6 bands, 3 orchestras
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Like bright stars in a cold winter sky, Purdue Bands' trio of concerts in the Winter Music Gala, Feb. 18-20, feature an eclectic mix of popular works by contemporary composers as well as works from decades, even centuries, ago.
All the concerts will be in Elliott Hall of Music. Admission is free. The Symphonic, Collegiate and Purdue Concert bands will perform at 8 p.m. Feb. 18. The Purdue Philharmonic and Symphony orchestras will perform at 8 p.m. Feb. 19, and the Purdue Wind Ensemble, Varsity and University bands at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 20.
The Feb. 18 concert opens with the Purdue Concert Band, which will feature "Festival in Russia," a transcription for concert band of Anatoli Liadovs orchestral work "Polonaise." The band, directed by Ishbah Cox, also performs works by John Philip Sousa and others. The concert continues with Collegiate Band, led by Pamela Nave, performing Robert Smith's "Songs of Earth, Water, Fire and Sky," which keeps alive oral traditions of the San Juan Pueblo, the Seneca, Northern Arapaho, Northern Plains, Creek, Yurok, Navajo, Cherokee and Southern Plains cultures. The band also will perform Percy Grainger's "Shepherd's Hey."
Capping the Feb. 18 concert is the Purdue Symphonic Band, led by Max Jones, with works by Grainger, Jack Stamp, Vaclav Nelhybel and David Holsinger. Stamp's high-flying "Cloudsplitter Fanfare" was originally commissioned by the United States Air Force Band. Brant Karrick created the arrangement of Grainger's "The Dragoon's Farewell." This folk song about a soldier leaving to go to war was originally written for piano. The set also includes one of Vaclav Nelhybel's most popular works, "Symphonic Movement," and Holsinger's "Abram's Pursuit."
On Feb. 19, the Elliott stage is taken over by Purdue's two orchestras directed by Andrew King. The Symphony Orchestra opens with "Pictures at an Exhibition," by Modest Mussorgsky. The composer linked his musical sketches together with a musical "Promenade," in which he depicted himself shuffling from one picture to the next.
The Philharmonic Orchestra will perform "Baba Yaga," by Liadov, "Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture," by Tchaikovsky, and "Russian Easter Overture," by Rimsky Korsakoff. Tchaikovsky's fantasy-overture, written in the 1880s, was inspired by Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." Korsakoff's piece celebrates Easter in a Russian Orthodox Cathedral.
On Feb. 20, three concert bands are featured. The concert opens with University Band, directed by Jay Gephart, with a set that contains several contemporary works. One is Karrick's "Songs of Old Kentucky," based on traditional tunes from the Eastern Kentucky mountains. Michael Sweeney's "Earthdance" opens with a rainstorm effect and reflects the natural energy of the Earth.
Next on the program are Cox and the Varsity Band. They will perform David Shaffer's "Dominion of the Sky," based on Greek mythology, and Frank Ticheli's "Abracadabra."
The Feb. 20 concert closes with the Wind Ensemble, directed by Gephart. They'll perform the "Galop," from Shostakovich's "Sixth Symphony." The ensemble also will perform Wagner's "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral," from his opera "Lohengrin," and "Finale," from "Give us This Day," by David Maslanka.
The concerts are part of Purdue Bands and Orchestras' 125th anniversary celebration. For information on other concerts in the spring semester visit www.purdue.edu/bands
Writer: Jim Bush, 765-494-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu
Source: Kathy Matter, 765-496-6785, kcmatter@purdue.edu