University Wind Ensemble - Tone Poems and the Dramatic Stories Behind the Music

Friday, November 29, 2024, 7:30pm

Capitol Theatre, 121 University Ave. W.

 

The Wind Ensemble performance begins with an opening fanfare, A Festival Prelude, by Alfred Reed. The remainder of the first half of the program will feature orchestral transcriptions for wind ensemble. The Water Music Suite by George Frideric Handel was a response to King George I's request for a concert on the River Thames and Overture to Rienzi was Richard Wagner’s 3rd completed opera. The story of the great ship “Titanic” was much in the news the past year. Swiss composer Stephan Jaeggi scored his tone poem Titanic: Dramatische Fantasie in 1927. Not to be confused with the 1997 movie of the same name, this composition, like all tone poems, tells the story of the fateful maiden voyage. Jim Curnow’s Canticle of the Creatures follows and is inspired by the writings of Saint Francis of Assisi. The suite succeeds in expressing his love for peace and his respect for all creatures. Each movement is a short tone poem that uses the modern wind ensemble as the vehicle for creating spectacular musical images. Borrowing from the influences of Wagner and the use of tone poems as a medium, John Williams has distinguished himself as both a musical storyteller and a master of the dramatic motif. John Williams: The Symphonic Marches is a perfect example of these compositional elements and includes among others in an Olympic year, the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Fanfare & Theme.