Blog Post: Kira Levitzky

The concert went extremely well. It was quite shocking to see how few people were in the audience, not to mentioned they didn't really look like they were enjoying themselves. Although I played the piece the best I'd ever done, it was not as satisfying as turning around to a screaming crowd of people. I can understand why people wouldn't be ecstatic however perhaps if it had been presented in a less stuffy and "I'm a professional" manner with some jokes it would have made more of an impact. Just a thought.

-Kira Levitzky, flute

Blog Post: Nicole Tallon

I particularly enjoyed on this concert’s music because of the reduced ensemble size. Because there are less people, it’s vital that each part is executed and audible. It’s challenging as a performer because if a mistake is made, it’s easily heard. As a previous fan of Torke’s music, Overnight Mail is my favorite piece. It’s most challenging stylistically. Although it seemingly sounds technically difficult, it lays fairly well on the saxophone. It’s been a journey as an ensemble to break out of our classical instincts and play with jazz articulation.

-Nicole Tallon, saxophone

Blog Post: Britney Saline

Tomassini's Torn Canvases is supposed to be an aural representation of the works of Jackson Pollock. There are two distinct thematic approaches to this representation, with an overall effect described in the score as a "bell turning into a jazz band." I actually think the "bell" sections do a decent job of suggesting the images of Pollock - the sudden, thick striking of tones quickly disappearing into a thin line of sound is a perfect picture of Pollock's action painting, the globs of paint splatting the canvas and streaking off into their own thin lines. I'm less sure of the "jazz band" portion - there is lots of repetition, which makes sense, but the theme is quite simple. Pollock is not simple at all. I suppose the importance of deciding whether or not the representation is accurate could be overshadowed by the question of whether a visual art should be represented by an aural one, and whether a piece of music can be appreciated for its own sake if it is written expressly to represent a work of visual art.

-Britney Saline, saxophone

Blog Post: Dan Vaughan

This has been an interesting concert cycle for me in UMWO. I am playing on “Three Spanish Songs” and “Ku-Ka-Ilimoku.” I love the sound of “Spanish Songs.” However, some parts of it are difficult for me and are right at the threshold of my playing ability within an ensemble. Part of what makes the piece difficult for me is the size of the ensemble. There are only about twelve people playing “Spanish Songs” and this means that my part is much more exposed to the audience in comparison to parts I have had in past pieces and ensembles. Because of this I have to pay much more attention to the conductor and listen more to the other members of the ensemble. Nevertheless, I am very excited to perform “Spanish Songs.” It is a beautiful piece of new music. As far as “Ku-Ka” goes, it is also a wonderful piece of music for percussion ensemble. I am, however, much more nervous to perform this piece because myself and the other percussionists have not had much time to rehearse it.

-Dan Vaughan, percussion

Blog Post: Michael Calderone

I'm playing third trumpet on Michael Torke's Overnight Mail, and something that will be a challenge for this uniquely scored piece (trumpets, trombones, saxes, flute, horn, bass, and piano) is properly executing the jazz-influenced elements of the piece. Overnight Mail is not swung, but the different articulations and rhythms present have really tested the ears and concentration of this (almost completely) classical trumpeter. I'm looking forward to having Chris Vadala come to rehearsal next week and coach us on this piece --- I know we'll all benefit from his advice!

-Michael Calderone, trumpet

Blog Post: Amy Grossnickle

This concert has really been geared towards playing in some smaller ensembles. I am performing in three pieces for this concert. Two of the pieces we have been rehearsing for a few weeks, but I have no idea what the third piece is. That makes me feel like little effort was put into planning this concert, especially since the concert is only 10 days away. I’m sure the group will pull something together, but it would be nice to know soon.

One of the pieces is Torn Canvases by Tommasini. Basically, as a horn player I’m supposed to sound like a bell. The main idea behind the music is that it represents a bell turning into a jazz ensemble. As soon as I read that program note I wasn’t too keen on performing this. That’s not a normal idea and to make things even stranger, the piece goes from bell-like tones in the beginning to full on jazz and then comes back to bell tones at the end. Puzzling.

The second piece I play on is Torke’s Overnight Mail. This piece seems like it should have been written for a standard jazz ensemble, but it includes flute and horn. My part looks like it would be better suited to a sax player. For example, I find the middle movement extremely challenging because I play almost 100 bars of music with only 3 bars of rest in it and the music stays in the higher range of my instrument making it physically tiring on my lips.

-Amy Grossnickle, horn

Wind Music on Composer's Datebook

See below the post and audio link from Composer's Datebook for today featuring Howard Hanson's work for wind band, Laude.

Audio Link for Composer's Datebook: 2/7/2011

Howard Hanson's "Laude"

On today's date in 1975, "Laude," a new work for symphonic winds by American composer Howard Hanson received its premiere performance in Berkeley, California, by the California State University Long Beach Band conducted by Larry Curtis. The new work was a commission from the College Band Directors National Association.

The program notes supplied for the occasion by the 78-year-old composer were unusually eloquent and reflective:

"As one comes toward the end of a long life," wrote Hanson, "one realizes how many influences go back to early childhood. In my musical and religious life the greatest was, undoubtedly, the chorales which I heard as a young boy growing up in Wahoo, Nebraska . . . 'Laude' [is] based on a chorale of praise . . . I took my cue from the 150th Psalm: 'Praise Him with the sound of the Trumpet, With Psaltery and harp, With timbrel and dance, With string instruments and organs, Praise Him upon the loud cymbals, the high-sounding cymbals, Let everything that has breath praise the Lord' . . . when the chorale melody appears, working up a crescendo which becomes, I hope, a veritable avalanche of sound, with, literally, 'everything that has breath' praising the Lord."

An ardent champion of American classical music, Howard Hanson taught for some 40 years at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, and once estimated that over 2000 works by more than 500 American composers were premiered during his tenure.

Blog Post: Brendan Kelly

Michael Torke's Overnight Mail is quite the interesting piece. The instrumentation is not so user friendly for the group of predominately classical musicians in UMWO, so needless to say preparing it has been a challenge. Everything about the harmony and syncopation screams JAZZ JAZZ JAZZ but the piece is not swung. Keeping everyone's interpretation consistent has been a major point of rehearsal. As a member of the saxophone section, we have often been asked to help with explaining to the "orchestral" musicians how to interpret this "jazz" piece. Although most of our section has a lot of experience playing jazz and are pretty comfortable with it, the studio we come from is a classical studio and that is how we label ourselves: classical saxophonists. In all, we have enjoyed preparing this piece because our section is very excited about any performing opportunity that we are offered. The saxophones, who are most often thought of as the ugly ducklings in this ensemble, have had the least trouble learning our parts and coming to rehearsal completely prepared; not because we play a "jazz" instrument, but because we are eager to learn and share our love for music with our audience.

-Brendan Kelly, saxophone

Blog Post: Joy Hoffman

I can't believe that this the first concert of my last semester here at UM- the time has certainly flown by! I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to play on the Stravinsky Octet, as I have never performed it before. It is such a neat part of the wind repertoire, though I'm finding it incredibly challenging! The opening of the piece has numerous meter changes, so it requires the utmost concentration. I have listened to a recording of the opening so many times with pencil in hand, foot tapping, etc...I even listened to it while exercising on the elliptical, though it was hard for me to keep the swishing of the machine in steady eighth notes...

I think one of the coolest parts of the piece is Variation A. The two bassoons have a very machine like and interactive part. If we pull it off correctly, it should sound like one bassoon! The precision is so difficult though, as the second bassoon part requires me to play extremely quietly in the lowest register of the instrument. Though certainly not the most musical moment of the piece, it's a brilliant effect! I hope you enjoy our performance.

-Joy Hoffman, bassoon