Purdue News
Purdue News
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September 21, 2001 Patriotic music bookends Purdue concert of stage and film tunesWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University Bands has reinstated the playing of the "Star-Spangled Banner" to open all concerts this year. The national anthem will start off the Purdue Symphonic and Fall Concert Bands’ program, featuring hit music from Broadway and American films. The free concert, "Epic Music from Stage, Film & History," is at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30, in the Long Center, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette. "Playing the national anthem is kind of a traditional thing we haven’t done in a number of years. It’s a nice time to reinstate it," says M.T. "Mo" Trout, director of the Fall Concert Band. Every Purdue concert this year, including jazz and orchestra concerts, will begin with an arrangement of the national anthem that highlights the talents of the particular ensemble. A unique hymn setting of the "Star-Spangled Banner" also closes each program. The anthem’s rarely heard fourth verse will be read as the musicians play. "With words like, ‘Then conquer we must when our cause it is just, and this be our motto: In God is Our Trust,’ it captures the spirit of our nation and what we’re feeling right now," says Jay S. Gephart, Symphonic Band director. Packaged between the patriotic numbers are tunes that recall the magic generated by the entertainment industry, particularly American film and the Broadway stage. A medley from "A Chorus Line," one of the longest running hits in Broadway history, reminds audiences of the appeal of New York City. It also paves the way for an appearance by composer Marvin Hamlisch with Purdue Bands musicians in early November. With the film version of "The Lord of the Rings" set for release in the next few months, the Fall Concert Band also performs the "Gandalf" from Johan de Meij’s "The Lord of the Rings." "It’s very descriptive with a lot of dramatic dark sounds," Trout says. Opening and closing with a fanfare depicting Gandalf, the middle section focuses on his horse Shadow Fax. "You can hear the horse galloping through the plains and visualizing the wizard on top with his cape fluttering out behind," Trout says. Other highlights from the Concert Band’s section of the program include the John Philip Sousa march "Who’s Who in Navy Blue," and "Viva Musica," an overture with a Latin sound and dance rhythms that features demanding woodwind parts and a heavy dose of percussion. Purdue Symphonic Band will play music from "Far and Away," the Tom Cruise-Nicole Kidman film about the challenges faced by Irish immigrants making a new life in a new country. Multi-award winning composer John Williams wrote the music. "Time Remembered," a piece by the prolific British composer Philip Sparke, pays tribute to the 20th century. "It’s a serious reflective piece with quiet moments and beautiful passages for saxophone and oboe. It doesn’t so much reflect on specific moments as it reflects back on things we hold dear – especially our faith," Gephart says. Injecting a more upbeat mood into the program are "Olympica," a celebratory overture written for a Japanese jubilee, and "Clowns," which Gephart describes as "a silly little circus gallop." The Sept. 30 concert ends with "America the Beautiful" and the special arrangement of the "Star-Spangled Banner" by Luigi Zaninelli. "It’s a beautiful chorale setting where the lower brass sounds like a male chorus. It’s going to be a very reflective moment," Gephart says. CONTACT: Kathy Matter, (765) 496-6785; kcmatter@purdue.edu. NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Media interested in interviews should contact Kathy Matter, Purdue Bands public relations, (765) 496-6785. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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