The Ithaca College Concert Band, this semester under the baton of Assistant Professor of Music Education Andrew Benware, will present a performance of instrumental works inspired by vocal pieces on Wednesday, April 27th at 8:15 p.m. in Ford Hall in the James J. Whalen Center for Music.
The performance will begin by William Schuman's arrangement of the stirring American Revolutionary hymn "Chester" which was actually the colonists' unofficial national anthem of the day.
The program will continue with a more introspective work by Elliot Del Borgo based on the Dylan Thomas poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night." Included in the piece are two chorale tunes which make it a natural fit in the program order: "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" and the carol "In Dulci Jubilo." The highly emotional work calls to mind images of one fighting for life and then the final peace that comes through acceptance of death.
This subtle ending is a natural transition into the third piece on the program, a Reynolds transcription of Morten Lauridsen's "O Magnum Mysterium." For centuries, composers have been fascinated by this particular text which tells of the great mystery of God coming to dwell among humanity in the form of a mere human, and entering the world in the company of lowly animals in a stable. The composer set about creating a scene of quiet reverence through the repetition of a simple chorale tune harmonized by different voices.
The first half will close with a rhapsody by Morton Gould based on "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho." The piece utilizes modern harmonies, jazz rhythms, and eight distinct trumpet parts to depict the tensions leading up to that infamous battle and the proverbial walls that came "a tumblin' down."
Much of the second half of the concert will be dominated by a Krance transcription of Karl Orff's "Carmina Burana," a 13-movement suite whose original text is taken from a collection of 254 poems and dramatic texts from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The poems were written almost entirely in Medieval Latin, though some are "macaronic," meaning they combine the vernacular German, and Old French. Many of the melodies will certainly prove familiar to the listener, particularly the opening strains of "O Fortuna."
Finally, the program will feature an interactive segment, begging the audience to sing and whistle along to the Concert March "On the Mall" By Goldman.
Individuals requiring assistance should contact Concert Manager Erik Kibelsbeck at ekibelsbeck@ithaca.edu or 274.3717
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20110425083830274