This morning began with a fascinating session on the Category 3 Composition Contest finalists. These are all “breakthrough” composers who are new to composition or to the wind band, and rather than declare a winner from the three, they were each given a composition lesson with Jodie Blackshaw. After this lesson, each of them were then given an opportunity to revise their piece. So at this morning’s session, Leonard Tan and the wonderfully flexible Philharmonic Wind Orchestra from Singapore played each finalist piece in its original version, followed by comments from Blackshaw and then the revised version. Blackshaw offered additional feedback and suggestions after the performance. I only got to hear part of the session, but the changes were meaningful and often substantial – the first composer wrote an entirely new opening for his piece! I wish EVERY composer had this sort of opportunity. The lucky finalists were:
RISE – René Camilleri (Malta)
Thrill of Adventure – Griffin Hook (Canada)
Cha cha chi – Mariela Paz (Chile)
I had to miss a chunk of this to get ready for my own presentation! In it, I talked about some favorite techniques and repertoire for improvisation with large ensembles. I made a handout that summarizes it all, including links to my favorite resources and a repertoire list. I handed the mic to Brandon Duras, who talked about rehearsal strategies with high school bands, and then to Will Kinne, who identified some repertoire to expand our horizons. This included:
Rock Music – Alex Shapiro
Letter for Sado – Jodie Blackshaw
Band of Heroes – Erika Svanoe
Cave – Russell Peck
The Great Train Robbery – Andrew Boysen
After lunch, we returned for the BYU Wind Symphony, directed by fellow ASU alum Shawn Smith with Nate Seamons guest conducting. They played:
Toccata Marziale – Ralph Vaughan Williams
Unidad en Ritmo – Michele Fernandez
Rhapsody in Blue – George Gershwin, with Jihea Honghg-Park as piano soloist
Symphony no. 4 mvt. II. Marches – Morton Gould
Symphony no. 6 – The Blue Marble – Julie Giroux
It was wonderful hear a classic like the Vaughan Williams open this concert. The Fernandez was a lively Latin exploration that went through several different grooves. Gershwin is also a classic, and Honghg-Park and the students delivered an impressive performance. The Gould (yes, another classic) was a jaunty modernist number loaded with interesting counterpoint. They closed with the Giroux, which included video projections timed to the music, which was in Julie Giroux’s usual rich and sonorous style, with plenty of mood variations. It seemed to call on us to both appreciate and work for the good of this planet of ours.
We had another long break before the evening’s concert, so I went with an intrepid group of adventurers up to Namhansanseong Fortress, a dazzling 15th century compound set atop one of the many hills surrounding Gwangju. We took it all in, including an excellent dinner, and made it back to its namesake Namhansanseong Art Hall in plenty of time for maestro Björn Bus and the Landesblasorchester Baden-Württemburg. Their repertoire included:
Earthen Echoes Unveiled – Mathias Wehr
Danse Satanique – Alexandre Kosmicki
Images – José Suñer-Oriola
Capriccio – Christiaan Janssen
A Brussels Requiem – Bert Appermont
The ensemble played with DEEP musicality, defining and shaping every phrase and giving full flower to every climax. (This was no surprise – I’ve written about them before when they palyed at WASBE 2015 in San Jose). This was certainly driven by Bus’s committed leadership, but every band member obviously bought in completely. They moved together at every moment. They showed an immense dynamic range, going from exquisite, transparent pianos to colorful, unified fortissimos. And it served this music very well. The Wehr alternately soared and burbled, with a big ending. The Kosmicki opened atmospherically and turned scary and dissonant. The Suñer-Oriola used some interesting colors, including trombone slides, very impressive chorale singing, and a range of unusual percussion effects. The Janssen took my breath away at the beginning with its subdued clarinet chorale. This turned Straussian, with some more modern percussion colors towards the end. The Appermont was a moving reflection on a terror attack in Belgium in 2016. It took the children’s melody “Au claire de la lune” on a journey from innocence to terror to mature understanding of our complex world. All of this was played rapturously. Bus and this band have completely mastered the Neo-Romantic. I would be fascinated to hear them explore beyond this corner of the repertoire.
Tomorrow is the last day – stay tuned!