The Ithaca College Concert Band, this semester under the baton of Prof. Andrew Benware, will perform a concert on Wednesday, March 2, at 8:15p.m. in the Ford Hall Concert Auditorium. The pieces selected for this particular program all have ties to well-known literature and dramatic works as interpreted by some of today's most respected wind band composers.
The concert will open with a multi-movement work by Alfred Reed entitled “Twelfth Night” which shares its title with its namesake Shakespearian comedy. Seen as a masque, a form of play-with-music commonly employed in Shakespeare's time, the present suite for wind orchestra takes the form of five separate movements, each related to a place, or person, or both appearing in the play. The first, "Prelude: Illyria," sets the scene of the action in the busy bustling town on the seacoast where Viola and her companions have been washed up from the wreck of their ship at sea. The second, "Viola and Orsino," takes its mood from the first line of the play quoted above, and describes their growing passion for each other. The third, "The Merry Conspirators," portrays Sir Toby Belch, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and Maria as they plot and plan against Malvolio. The fourth, "Malvolio's Lament in 'Prison'," is his plea of innocence in what has happened to put him there. And the fifth, "A Double Wedding and 'All's Well!'," resolves the whole of the action, with all misunderstandings and practical jokes cleared up at last, and the two loving couples united as they (and the audience, too?) had hoped they would be all along.
“Satiric Dances” was composed by Norman Dello Joio for concert band and is based on a piece he had used as background music for a comedy by Aristophanes. The most famous comic dramatist of ancient Greece, Aristophanes was born an Athenian citizen about 445 BC. His plays commented on the political and social issues of fifth century Athens and frequently employed satire.
The first dance movement is annotated as allegro pesante. The brass entry signifies the importance of the work, but the brisk tempo keeps the simplicity of ``peasantry'' from being ponderous. Taking a much slower adagio mesto tempo, the second dance begins with a melancholy tune from the flutes and low brass. The movement has light and delicate features that are quite exposed. Its central theme might evoke thoughts of a dance in a meadow that eventually reverts into a more solemn theme. Without a break in the music, the final movement is introduced by rolls from the snare drum. The tempo is indicated as allegro spumante and is the fastest of the composition. The quick turns and dynamics evoke images of the objects that were the titles of Aristophanes' plays: Clouds, Wasps, and Birds.
The entire second half of the concert is devoted to Johan deMeij’s “Symphony No.1: The Lord of the Rings,” based on the trilogy of that name by J.R.R. Tolkien. This book has fascinated many millions of readers since its publication in 1955. Although it is not simple to summarize such an extensive and complex work, the main outline is als follows: the central theme is the Ring, made by primaeval forces that decide the safety or destruction of the World. For years it was the possesion of the creature Gollum, but when the Ring falls into the hands of the Hobbits the evil forces awake and the struggle for the Ring commences. There is but one solution to save the World from disaster: the Ring must be destroyed by the fire in which it was forged: Mount Doom in the heart of Mordor, the country of the evil Lord Sauron. It is the Hobbit Frodo who is assigned to carry out this task, and to assist him a company, the Fellowship of the Ring, is formed under the leadership of Gandalf, the wizard, which includes the Hobbits Sam, Peregrin and Merin, the Dwarf Gimli, the Elf Legolas, Boromir and Aragorn, the later King. The Companions are secretly followed by Gollum, who does not shun any means, however perfidious, to recover his priceless Ring. However, the Companions soon fall apart, after many pernicious adventures and a surprising dénouement Frodo and Sam can at last return to their familiar home, The Shire.
The concert is free and open to the public. Individuals in need of special assistance should contact Concert Manager Erik Kibeslbeck at 274.3717.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20110228092546685