Wednesday afternoon, July 8th, 2009, the WASBE membership was treated to a superiorly played concert by the Westlake High School Wind Ensemble from Austin, Texas. This group, led by Kerry Taylor, played a challenging program. Mr. Taylor chose a most interesting repertoire for the WASBE members to hear.
The first number, "Give Us this Day," composed by David Maslanka in 2007, was certainly a challenge for any group to play as an opening number. Written in two movements, the first movement was very tranquil and yet seemed to have an underlying, building tension. The second movement had beautiful lines for the oboe and the horn. It was a complete change from the first movement, being very driven. The hymn (chorale melody) that this piece is based upon is heard quite distinctively at the end of the second movement.
Kevin Sedatole, director of Bands at Michigan State University, was the guest conductor for "Hold This Boy and Listen" by Carter Pann, composed in 2008. This work was a definite contrast from the Maslanka piece. Pann really knows how bring out the various colors from within the wind orchestra. Additionally, the written percussion parts worked well with the rest of the wind orchestra. This was really masterful writing.
For the third number, Mr. Taylor programmed Sousa's "Pathfinder of Panama." For the WASBE members who may have listened to the New Sousa Band Concert and Keith Brion's lecture about the merits of Sousa as a composer, many in the audience would have had more appreciation for this work. Certainly this composition showcases Sousa as an outstanding composer.
Richard Strauss' "Horn Concerto No. 1" (first movement), played by student soloist John Turman, was performed very well. This Ludwig Music Publication of the accompaniment transcribed by John Anderson fits the wind orchestra wonderfully. Often in the past, when horn players tried to do this work with a wind orchestra, the parts were too difficult to be played accurately.
"Ballad for Band," composed by Morton Gould in 1947, is a work that probably does not get enough play by wind orchestras. H. Robert Reynolds, former Director of Bands at the University of Michigan and currently Principal Conductor of the Wind Ensemble at the University of Southern California, was invited to guest conduct the group. "Ballad for Band" is a piece that always has something more to focus on and perfect each time a group prepares it for performance. The director and the wind orchestra members can continually work on balance and precision to make the work more musical. It is an outstanding piece for teaching purposes.
John Mackey composed "Kingfishers Catch Fire" in 2007. It was a wonderful work in which to finish the concert. As the program notes state, a kingfisher is "a bird with stunning, brilliantly colored feathers that appear in the sunlight as if they are on fire." The Westlake High School Wind Ensemble performed the second movement, "Kingfishers catch fire," a very technical movement, which the group played extremely well.