ITHACA COLLEGE CONCERT BAND
Benjamin Rochford, conductor
Dr. Daniel Cook, conductor
Symphonic Dance #3 “Fiesta” is one of five symphonic dances commissioned by the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 1964. Each of the five dances represents the spirit of a different time and place in the history of San Antonio. This dance reflects the excitement and color of the city’s many Mexican celebrations, which Williams called “the pageantry of Latin American celebration -- street bands, bull fights, bright costumes, the colorful legacy of a proud people.” The introductory brass fanfare creates an atmosphere of tense anticipation, while the bells, solo trumpet, and woodwinds herald the arrival of an approaching festival. The brass announce the matador’s arrival to the bullring, and the finale evokes a joyous climax to the festivities. Williams rescored this work for band, and it was first performed in 1967 by the University of Miami Band, where he was chairman of theory and composition.
Contre Qui, Rose is the second movement of my choral cycle Les Chansons des Roses, on poems by Rilke, a poet whose texts were also used for my Nocturnes and Chanson Éloignée. Rilke’s poetry is often multilayered and frequently ambiguous, forcing his reader to use his or her own imagination to grasp the text. This wonderful little poem poses a series of questions, and the corresponding musical phrases all end with unresolved harmonies, as the questions remain unanswered. We have all been in situations where we have given affection and not had it returned, where attempts at communication have been unsuccessful, met by resistance or defenses of some kind. A sense of quiet resignation begins the setting as the stark harmony and melodic line, filled with unresolved suspensions and appoggiaturas, gradually build to a nine-part chord on “on the contrary” and then the music folds back on itself, ending on a cluster that simply fades away as does the hope of understanding the reasons for the rose’s thorny protection.
Against whom, rose,
Have you assumed these thorns?
Is it your too fragile joy that forced you
to become this armed thing?
But from whom does it protect you,
this exaggerated defense?
How many enemies have I lifted from you
who do not fear it at all?
On the contrary, from summer to autumn
you wound the affection that is given you.
Blue Dances is a work for wind ensemble dedicated to the beautiful people and island of Puerto Rico. After the devastating hurricane (Maria), I felt a need to give back in some way. My connection to Puerto Rico is deep. I had the privilege of living there for over nine years as a young boy. When the island suffers, I suffer. When the island celebrates, I celebrate. Composing Blue Dances was an act of love. The piece starts with sounds of the ocean, and a delicate trio between the flute, oboe, and flugelhorn. The Latin melodies throughout the piece represent a positive outlook towards the future of this island. The people of Puerto Rico are resilient, strong, positive, and always loving. These beautiful sentiments are what I hope I was able to have Blue Dances represent.
Satiric Dances was commissioned by the Concord Band, Concord, Massachusetts, to commemorate the Bicentennial of April 19, 1775, the day that launched the American War for Independence. At the North Bridge, in what is now Minute Man National Historical Park, the first ordered firing upon British Regulars by Colonial militiamen resulted in "the shot heard `round the world." Dello Joio, then Dean of Boston University's School for the Arts, agreed to do the commission, but stipulated it would be 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.
“Of Our New Day Begun” was written to honor nine beautiful souls who lost their lives to a callous act of hatred and domestic terrorism on the evening of June 17, 2015 while worshipping in their beloved sanctuary, the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (affectionately referred to as “Mother Emanuel”) in Charleston, South Carolina. My greatest challenge in creating this work was walking the line between reverence for the victims and their families, and honoring my strong, bitter feelings towards both the perpetrator and the segments of our society that continue to create people like him. I realized that the most powerful musical expression I could offer incorporated elements from both sides of that line - embracing my pain and anger while being moved by the displays of grace and forgiveness demonstrated by the victims’ families.
Historically, black Americans have, in great number, turned to the church to find refuge and grounding in the most trying of times. Thus, the musical themes and ideas for “Of Our New Day Begun” are rooted in the Black American church tradition. The piece is anchored by James and John Johnson’s time-honored song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (known endearingly as the “Negro National Anthem”), and peppered with blues harmonies and melodies. Singing, stomping, and clapping are also prominent features of this work, as they have always been a mainstay of black music traditions, and the inclusion of the tambourine in these sections is a direct nod to black worship services.
“Of Our New Day Begun” begins with a unison statement of a melodic cell from “Lift Every Voice….” before suddenly giving way to ghostly, bluesy chords in the horns and bassoons. This section moves to a dolorous and bitter dirge presentation of the anthem in irregularly shifting 12/8 and 6/8 meter, which grows in intensity as it offers fleeting glimmers of hope and relief answered by cries of blues-inspired licks. A maddening, ostinato-driven section representing a frustration and weariness that words cannot, grows into a group singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” fueled by the stomping and clapping reminiscent of the black church.
In the latter half of the piece the music turns hopeful, settling into 9/8 time and modulating up a step during its ascent to a glorious statement of the final lines of “Lift Every Voice….” in 4/4, honoring the powerful display of humanity set forth by the families of the victims. There is a long and emotional decrescendo that lands on a pensive and cathartic gospel-inspired hymnsong. Returning to 9/8 time, the piece comes to rest on a unison F that grows from a very distant hum to a thunderous roar, driven forward by march-like stomping to represent the ceaseless marching of black Americans towards equality.
FLUTE
Nawar Aboud
Emma Cardamone
Aaron Cowen
Brooke Delmage
Jamie Friedlander, piccolo
Zoe Lisa
Gillian Nord
Cameron Ting
Dionisia Yanniotis, piccolo
Alan Zimmerman
OBOE
Anthony DeSando
Jamie Heskett
Baruch Whitehead
CLARINET
Brendan Blazier
Lillian Caccamo
Joseph Ha, bass
Raelin Meacham
Xavier Pagano
Sami Shone, E-flat
Emmie Sisack
Leah Trezza
EJ Tucker
BASSOON
Nearah Sanon
Milo Vinson
ALTO SAXOPHONE
James Baker
Nick Gilbert
Lindsey Green
Beckett Olson
TENOR SAXOPHONE
Alyssa Ayerle
Michael Scamacca
BARITONE SAXOPHONE
Daniel Edelman
Rebecca Wielhouwer
TRUMPET
Jayden Casey
Erik Figueroa
Larkin Hanna
Ian Manchester
Cameron Nocera
Anthony Reyes
HORN
Emma Bradley
Lucas Ferguson
Michael Mezzo
Joel Rivera
TROMBONE
Victor Chicas Caceros, bass
Ian Equinozzi
Alexander Little
Kyndra Williamson
EUPHONIUM
Patrick Hogan
TUBA
Seamus Buford
Wyndam Withington
DOUBLE BASS
Dylan Drannbauer
PIANO
Rohan Gupta
PERCUSSION
Thomas Anzuini
Willow Black
Oscar Donahue
Aiden Dearborn
Max Donahue
Madie Krebs