UMSO and Petrushka

Below you will find a link to the University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra's documentary of Petrushka from a 2008 performance. This video has certainly been a long time in the making and is a very good representation of all the "New Lights" initiatives that have been taking place in the School of Music at Maryland.

Although Petrushka is not a piece for winds alone, it certainly does place a great deal of emphasis on wind playing and Stravinsky's contributions to winds is probably second only to Mozart. Combined with the fact that this performance took place at the University of Maryland, makes this video a perfect addition to our blog. Enjoy!

UMSO: Petrushka

We're on YouTube!

We have now uploaded videos of our performances and dress rehearsal of "Sleepless Slumber" onto YouTube. You can access the videos by following these links. You can also find these videos on our Facebook page. Enjoy!

Performance Video

Dress Rehearsal

"Oiseaux Exotiques" on Composers Datebook

Today on Composers Datebook, you can read about Messiaen's "Oiseaux Exotiques" which will be performed by UMWO on our April 1 concert. The text is below and you can get audio of today's broadcast here. More information on "Birds" can be found on this blog. Enjoy!

Messiaen and Respighi for the birds

The song of birds has fascinated composers for centuries, and imitations of especially melodious birds like the lark or the nightingale are fairly common in musical works from the 18th and 19th centuries.

In the 20th century, musical ornithology became more scientific -- and bolder. The modern French composer, Olivier Messian recorded and notated the birds of rural France and elsewhere, and used birdsong as the core thematic material in many of his scores, such as his chamber work "Exotic Birds" from 1956.

But on today's date in 1924, an orchestral work premiered in Rome that included -- for the first time in musical history -- the actual song of an actual bird. On that occasion, over faint, muted strings and clarinet, conductor Bernardino Molinari, cued a member of his orchestra to start up a 78-rpm phonograph record of a real nightingale's song, as indicated in the score of Ottorino Respighi's orchestral suite titled "The Pines of Rome."

This was the second of three suites composed by Respighi depicting Roman lanscapes: the others being "The Fountains of Rome" from 1917 and "Roman Festivals" from 1929. The British music critic, Norman Lebrecht, calls these three pieces, "God's gift to hi-fi salesmen," and, truth be told, ever since the early days of stereo, Respighi's colorful scores have served to show off many a newly-acquired audio system.

Blog Post: Nicole Tallon

Let me just start by saying it's not easy being a saxophone player in the University of Maryland's Wind Orchestra. With such delicate sounds as the oboe, flute, and bassoon, it's hard for a loud, clunky, high school band, jazz sounding instrument such as the saxophone to fit in. I don't know what Schmitt, Hidgon, and Corigliano were thinking when they wrote for saxophone. If you ask me, the saxophone was just invented too late to even be considered a real instrument. Nobody understands what it's like to be the ugly duckling. I think we deal with it pretty well though, at least that's what my psychiatrist says.

-Nicole Tallon, saxophone

Blog Post: Angelina Ho

After all these well-organized rehearsals, I am glad that we made through the technically and rhythmically complicated pieces together. Although the pieces are more like team work other than individually exposed music. I figured it's been a beneficial learning experience for me to study these pieces and play with many other fellow musicians, and it definitely broadened my view toward ensesmble playing. Also, I'm sure the diversity and excitment of this concert's program will attratct more audience for the concerts in the future.

-Angelina Ho, flute

Blog Post: Graham Logen

Quality control goes down with more people. This concert boasts large ensembles, amassing many students from the wind band and paid freelancers. The music presents droll challenges of playing lots of notes in coordination and is not individually rewarding to the individual performer, although the overall effect is grand for the audience. It's also too loud for my sensitive ears to have saxophones right behind me: it all reminds me too much of public school bands when I am most interested in orchestral training. Enjoy!

-Graham Logen, bassoon

Blog Post: Adam Stephens

Although the harmonies, rhythms, and melodies can seem wild to the inexperienced listener, I think that this is the biggest asset to this concert and why it could potentially appeal to a wide audience. The Schmitt is very interesting because it has so much character, while the percussion concerto gives the listener a chance to experience a more "atmospheric" piece that is as impressive to watch as it is to hear. Although the Corigliano Symphony No.1 may confuse less experienced listeners on its own, I think that playing Gazebo Dances before it and telling the story of why he wrote the Symphony will make complete sense to listeners and put the piece in a context that will make it more interesting. I am looking forward to hearing the reactions of those in the audience that don't typically go to wind orchestra concerts, because I think that they will enjoy this new music even if they are new to this kind of music.

-Adam Stephens, saxophone

Blog Post: Andrew Rudderow

Playing John Corigliano's tarantella from Symphony No 1 is quite an experience, mainly because of the tarantella from Gazebo dances being played right before it. Being on 6th horn, and the Gazebo Dances only being scored for 3, I sit and listen to the first, very short tarantella and its very happy, jubilant etc. This makes the transition to the other tarantella from Symphony No 1 more dramatic, being that it was written about a friend of the composer who had AIDS. Both Tarantellas are essentially made up of the same melodic and harmonic material, but the Symphony Tarantella is quite gruesome, frightening, and sometimes downright scary. The use of effects Corigliano uses is brilliant, with everything from roto-toms to whistling, the sounds he creates contribute toward the mood extremely well. Not only is this tarantella exhilarating and exciting to play, but because of the history behind it, its quite a moving and powerful experience as well.

-Andrew Rudderow, horn

Blog Post: Britney Saline

For the Love of Sound

Sometimes musicians get so wrapped up in our cerebral concepts of the music we play that we forget to consider its basic building block: sound. The Higdon percussion concerto has reminded me of my love for sound. It is, of course, a complex composition comprised of convoluting melodies and a diverse palatte of harmonies , but more than that, it takes music beyond the ears and brings it somewhere else. The marimba is a sounding board for chords and melodic lines (doing a nice job of reminding me of the beauty of a simple chord, rolled and repeated), but it also produces a soft and comforting edge around the tones, one that is nearly tangible. Bowed crotales send a more than metaphorical shiver down my side, and I am drawn into the rhythms and pitches of the drums and tams as their beats are literally drawn into me, resonating in my chest cavity. For a short while after rehearsal, I hear music in the clapping of my footsteps and the popping of my chapstick cap.

It is good that we consider the concepts behind and ideals of the music we play, and necessary that we devote attention to the basic elements of pitch, rhythm and ensemble. There is more joy to be garnered from it, however, and this concerto does an excellent job of highlighting it.

-Britney Saline, saxophone

Blog Post: Christi Rajnes

Out of all the ensemble concerts I have ever played, I can safely say that this may the most technically difficult, with its many sweeping runs up beyond the flute's standard orchestral range, and rapid passages without any standard pattern. It is certainly not easy to overcome such technical difficulties to the point at which one can concentrate too much on ensemble, musicality, or sound. But, from working through these difficulties, I have found that focussing less on each individual note, and more on the big picture (and ensemble, and musicality, and sound), has allowed us to be more musical, and think of each difficult passage as a gesture; and then...the notes are suddenly playable, and not really as hard as they seem!

-Christi Rajnes, flute

Blog Post: Tina Termini

Playing in Wind Orchestra has been a rather interesting experience this rotation. I have never played in such a large ensemble- even in concert band our sections were smaller than this. The Surinach Paeans and Dances of Heathen Iberia is written for an enormous wind orchestra, including eight oboes and eight flutes. Of course, such a large ensemble has a very powerful sound. However, intonation certainly has been an issue with the flute section. We are mostly playing in unison or thirds with 3 on a part and piccolos doubling one of the lines. It is quite difficult to coordinate many instruments at one time- especially in passages with awkward rhythms. However, I think we are doing a fantastic job and our performance with such a large group will give the audience an experience they have never had.

-Tina Termini, flute

Blog Post: Keith Williams

So straight up...this concert is ridiculous in so many ways. Who thought it was a good idea to write for 8 bassoons and 8 oboes? (Surinach, you silly dude) Also, the percussion set-up is enormous (feel free to help us put away equipment after the concert). However, as a percussionist this concert is fun to play, but exhausting. This concert starts with Corigliano. I am playing one of the timpani parts. I don't even know what it is going on this piece. Most of the time I am guessing or following the other timpanist. Keep an ear open for a weird sound that losts a long time. That would be me bowing a crotale (metal disk that rings forever) in a hunched over position because our set-up is too big for the riser. All of this confusion is ok because of the Higdon. That piece is awesome. Stay awake...I promise it is worth it! And if you want to dance the groove, it would only make your experience more fun. Later, I get to play timpani on "Dionysiaques" by Schmitt and I get to play loudly for a bulk of my part. At the same time, my part is filled with tuning changes that I barely have time to make. Feel free to laugh at me during the concert when you see staring down at timpani gauges and barely making my entrances on time (hopefully).

-Keith Williams, percussion

Blog Post: Allison Johnson

I really enjoyed performing the Schmitt on Friday. Performing it in Dekelboum in front of an attentive audience really allowed me to feel the piece for the first time. When I was playing in UMSO with such a large orchestra, it was easy to fall right into the music, but many of the UMWO pieces tend to be on a smaller scale and I don't get absorbed into the sound. But playing on Friday reminded me of how I felt performing Tchaik's 4th back in the beginning of the year. I missed the large ensemble feel, and I can't wait to play it again this week.

I'm also really looking forward to the Higdon. It didn't sound like much during rehearsals, and I was complaining because my part is pretty simple. But once I heard the soloist I was hooked. It's a really colorful piece with so many different percussive timbres, and now I get how my part enhances it.

-Allison Johnson, clarinet

Blog Post: Avery Sandborn

When I was asked to join the Wind Orchestra for this rotation, I was a bit overwhelmed, since I’ve only been to one UMWO concert before. The concert I attended earlier this semester consisted of very independent instrumental parts, usually with one player on a part. I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to play my part; and plus, I was playing piccolo, and everyone can hear when a piccolo messes up! When I got my music, the fast technical sections frightened me. All I could see was a blotch of black ink on the page and my fingers would freeze. After sitting down to actually learn my part, I realized that these so-called “difficult parts” weren’t so difficult after all, and that I needed to stop freaking out and play what was on the page. One last note: when you hear two piccolos out of sync with the rest of the band and conductor in Tarantella from Symphony No. 1, remember, it’s supposed to be that way!

-Avery Sandborn, flute

Blog Post: Arielle Miller

It's loud. It's brash. It uses way too many people and way too much stuff.

This concert is a circus, and you just have to laugh. That's what we did, anyway, during the first readthrough. The logistical challenges (Three vibraphones? Five rototoms? What's a midget cymbal?) added to the hilarity.

But honestly, it's great to have so many people involved in making challenging music. It's appropriate for a concert centered around chaos and noise.

But if you feel overwhelmed, it's okay to laugh. Really.

-Arielle Miller, percussion

Blog Post: Mandy Maruchi-Turner

This concert has been a major mental and physical overload compared to previous concerts. I have been on fewer pieces previously this semester, and most of those pieces were primarily difficult to put together as an ensemble, rather than just difficult in general like these. I was overwhelmed originally when I picked up this thick pile of demanding music a week before my senior recital, and then after my recital I was again overwhelmed when I wanted to take a break and then caught sight of the Schmitt waiting in my case. It has definitely been interesting and a challenge to put together this difficult music while also supporting a much larger ensemble than usual, but hopefully we will come together and be successful, like... tomorrow. The Higdon sounds pretty good though, mostly because the percussion soloist is amazing. You should come see him. And us :)

-Mandy Maruchi-Turner, clarinet

Blog Post: Robbie Bowen

Vibraphone, bass drum, roto-toms, rachet, snare drum, crash cymbals, sleigh bells, finger cymbals, suspended cymbals, crotales, guiro, gong, flexatone, temple blocks, and whip crack. I’m probably forgetting at least twelve other instruments. Hopefully I’ll remember the whole lot when I set up my equipment on December 7.

The UMWO “Wild Rides” concert is hands down the most chaotic percussive experience I’ve ever faced, and I love it. I’ll admit, I’m absolutely drained when I leave rehearsal, but it’s a great, fulfilling challenge. I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to be part of such a great production as a freshman. Many of the musical ideas in my parts were foreign to my inexperienced eyes at first. Before this concert, I’d never played roto-toms while simultaneously adjusting their pitches. Before this concert, I’d never played crotales upside down while another person bowed them. They are new and exciting experiences that I’m sure will come in handy later on in my professional career. Most rewarding, however, has been my experience working with featured percussion soloist Chris Rose on the Higdon Percussion Concerto. My part has some of the most difficult vibraphone licks I’ve ever attempted to play, but working with such a positive, talented professional on such a mesmerizing piece of music has been a “wild ride” I won’t forget for quite some time. Every time we finish the piece in rehearsal, there’s no other word to describe it besides “awesome.”

It was only a year ago when most of what I played in school was snare drum for Sousa marches for concert band. I’d say things have changed for me a bit.

-Robbie Bowen, percussion

Blog Post: Joe Marsala

Rehearsals for this concert period have been a great challenge. For this concert, I will be playing Euphonium for the first time since middle school. I will also be playing on each of the pieces this concert. My favorite piece in the concert is the Higdon Percussion Concerto. I think the soloist has been fantastic, and it should be a very entertaining piece for the audience to listen to.

-Joe Marsala, trombone

Blog Post: Natalie Hogg

This is my first time in UMWO- I am a percussionist covering a crash and suspended cymbal part in the Schmitt. The part is written in French, but many of the notations don't translate directly to English. For example, in on measure my part says simply "avec eponges" which means ... with sponges. My teacher and I went through the part to try to read and translate the small print, but I still spent most of the first few rehearsals experimenting with different cymbals and mallets to get different tones and timbres to match the winds. I was too loud or too dark for a good amount of the time, but I'm having a lot of fun because it's a great piece. It presents a lot of different ideas while still maintaining a strong sense of the overall theme. It's very purposeful and heavy, and brings to mind a crazed circus or a chronicle of the lives of a herd of large dinosaurs. My section actually calls it "Dinosaurus" because we can't pronounce the name of the piece, but it kind of looks and sounds like dinosaurs.

-Natalie Hogg, percussion

Blog Post: Lisa Rodio

This UMWO concert is really different from UMWO concerts in the past in that the pieces are orchestrated for many more people. This has been interesting to coordinate with all the people, chairs, and stands. Generally, the music is appealing and requires a lot more playing than in previous concerts. While not really programmatic, most of the pieces have some sort of theme or idea behind them. For instance Corigliano’s Tarantella was written for a friend suffering from AIDS dementia and the music is full of his anger and craziness with lots of mutes, effects, and pounding in the percussion. The piece is very draining physically as well as mentally and as one of four taxing pieces, has made rehearsals for this rotation kind of a work out. With only one week to go, hopefully we can make it through our concerts.

-Lisa Rodio, trumpet

Blog Post: Kira Levitzky

It's interesting having a very bland role in the wind orchestra seeing as how I'm one out of seven flutes for the Surinach. I remember going to bed one night and I kept humming this tune and I couldn't figure out what it was until I heard French horns, bassoons, oboes, etc in my head and realized it was the piece. Catchy.

-Kira Levitzky, flute