JHU Band pays homage to Vonnegut
Drake dedicated this last piece in memory of Vonnegut: in Slaughterhouse-Five: "so it goes" is a phrase used often in reference to the inevitability of death. The piece was an apt tribute to Vonnegut's legacy with its sweepingly epic tone and bittersweet melody. The fluttering refrain of flutes contrasted well with the brightness of the horns. Beautiful, slow, yet powerful, "So It Goes" perfectly concluded Drake's composition.
The next work on the program was "Lux Aurumque," composed by Eric Whitacre. Whitacre, formally a choral composer, wrote "Lux Aurumque" for a wind ensemble. Drake attributed the "sonorous, lowing line" of the piece to Whiteacre's choral background. Four distinct "voice" parts were subsequently discernible throughout, and Whiteacre's transition from "harmonies in a larger choral setting" to wind ensemble attests to his immense compositional skills. "Lux Aurumque" was breathy and elegant, with a single, continuous note sounding like a solo throughout the work's billowing crescendos.
"Psalm for Band" by composer Vincent Persichetti came next in the ensemble's program. Like Whitacre, Persichetti began his compositional career in a field other than wind instruments: he was an organ composer and consequently attempted to replicate a liturgical tone in his orchestral compositions. For the first half of "Psalm for Band," the ensemble imitated a grand-scale pipe organ with slowly ascending melody and powerful chords. The second half, although sped up and thus lacking in similar "liturgical" ambiance, conveyed an equally exquisite musical brightness and intensity as the first.
The ensemble finished their program with John Williams' "Overture from The Cowboys" as arranged by Jim Curnow. (The Cowboys is a 1972 Western film starring John Wayne.) The work was indicative of its name, and began with a somewhat campy mimicry of "Old West" instrument-play. From there the work took off into a beautifully complex intermingling of unique rhythms with familiar sounds: the piece effectively harkened back to Western camp without becoming a mere genre work. Both the energy and vivacity of the piece made it a fantastic one for the concert's conclusion.
It warrants mention that this performance was the final one for seven of the graduating members of the wind ensemble. Gillian Maguire, a junior trumpeter, presented gifts on behalf of the ensemble to Band President and French hornist David Sher, Assistant VP of Jazz and flutist Lindsy Peterson, alto saxophonist Dan Weinberg, flutist Stephanie Gee, trumpeter Katrina Kuo, Band Business Manager and flutist Kevin Chen and Band Vice President and baritonist Hallie Pobanz. Brian Drake also presented the JHU Band's annual Gebline Award to alto/bass clarinetist Jeremy Rothstein on behalf of the sophomore's "concentration and enthusiasm" and outstanding leadership.
Overall, the concert was an outstanding testament to the JHU Wind Ensemble. As Hopkins congratulates and bids farewell to the band's graduating seniors, we look forward to a new class of talented instrumentalists and another school year of exceptional music.
The next work on the program was "Lux Aurumque," composed by Eric Whitacre. Whitacre, formally a choral composer, wrote "Lux Aurumque" for a wind ensemble. Drake attributed the "sonorous, lowing line" of the piece to Whiteacre's choral background. Four distinct "voice" parts were subsequently discernible throughout, and Whiteacre's transition from "harmonies in a larger choral setting" to wind ensemble attests to his immense compositional skills. "Lux Aurumque" was breathy and elegant, with a single, continuous note sounding like a solo throughout the work's billowing crescendos.
"Psalm for Band" by composer Vincent Persichetti came next in the ensemble's program. Like Whitacre, Persichetti began his compositional career in a field other than wind instruments: he was an organ composer and consequently attempted to replicate a liturgical tone in his orchestral compositions. For the first half of "Psalm for Band," the ensemble imitated a grand-scale pipe organ with slowly ascending melody and powerful chords. The second half, although sped up and thus lacking in similar "liturgical" ambiance, conveyed an equally exquisite musical brightness and intensity as the first.
The ensemble finished their program with John Williams' "Overture from The Cowboys" as arranged by Jim Curnow. (The Cowboys is a 1972 Western film starring John Wayne.) The work was indicative of its name, and began with a somewhat campy mimicry of "Old West" instrument-play. From there the work took off into a beautifully complex intermingling of unique rhythms with familiar sounds: the piece effectively harkened back to Western camp without becoming a mere genre work. Both the energy and vivacity of the piece made it a fantastic one for the concert's conclusion.
It warrants mention that this performance was the final one for seven of the graduating members of the wind ensemble. Gillian Maguire, a junior trumpeter, presented gifts on behalf of the ensemble to Band President and French hornist David Sher, Assistant VP of Jazz and flutist Lindsy Peterson, alto saxophonist Dan Weinberg, flutist Stephanie Gee, trumpeter Katrina Kuo, Band Business Manager and flutist Kevin Chen and Band Vice President and baritonist Hallie Pobanz. Brian Drake also presented the JHU Band's annual Gebline Award to alto/bass clarinetist Jeremy Rothstein on behalf of the sophomore's "concentration and enthusiasm" and outstanding leadership.
Overall, the concert was an outstanding testament to the JHU Wind Ensemble. As Hopkins congratulates and bids farewell to the band's graduating seniors, we look forward to a new class of talented instrumentalists and another school year of exceptional music.
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