“We get to have fun and get credit for it. It’s part of our curriculum. But don’t tell anybody!” Dr. Peter Martin, the conductor of the USM wind ensemble, stands poised on the podium, baton in hand, awaiting and expecting the pristine first notes of the work. It is clear that the USM Wind Ensemble, an elite compilation of brass, woodwind, and percussion performers, are enjoying themselves. I had the privilege of sitting through one of the last practices before their performance which will take place on Sunday, November 9. The pieces show to be a challenge, but their reward is given through every resonant chord, every ringing silence. For the concert, two pieces will be performed; their length and complexity both of a high caliber.
The first piece showcased is called Divertimento: for Brass and Percussion, by Karel Husa–a Pulitzer Prize winning composer from Prague. His heritage is exemplified through his compositions. The last movement is titled Slovak Dance and musically alludes to the aural culture of the Czech Republic. In total, it is a four movement piece whose musical focus is clearly in style. Though the play time is listed as being approximately fifteen minutes, the journey takes listeners through the composer’s story, movement by movement. Still upon his podium, Dr. Martin gives me a quick background The beginning is an invitation to a dance?
The work begins. The rhythm is rooted in the low brass. Percussion aids to the rhythmic pulse once in a while, but is often more syncopated with the non-melodic sections. Harmonies are jazzy and give the composition more of a contemporary feel. With the jazz chords comes levels of dissonance. Musical diction is diverse. Long and flowing segments are contrasted with quick and staccato stops. At the time of the dance in the fourth movement, it takes almost all of your concentration to keep your foot from tapping.
Imagine the head of the department for your major was sitting in class doing the same hard work as you were. In the USM Wind Ensemble this happens. The second piece showcased is Fa?ade with music by William Walton and the poetry by Edith Sitwell. It is very whimsical, but that have no downplaying of the extremely high demanding music. The setting is a small chamber ensemble containing six instrumentalists and one vocal reciter: John Coons of Corinna. The group is a mix of undergraduate students, graduate students, and yes, on cello, the director of music himself–Dr. Scott Harris.
The work as a whole is twenty-one short pieces. Each piece uses text painting which is instrumental story telling complimented with spoken poetry. The lyrics are spoken in rhythm, such as the music. This combination of metric speech and cacophonic instrumentation aids to the tone and quirky feel of the sound.
To learn such a challenging and large amount of music in such a seemingly short period of time is understatedly impressive. Behind the scenes, reward is with the group and each member?s satisfaction, but many applause must go to Dr. Martin himself. To us, we see that the USM wind ensemble?s efforts pays off through an excellent performance.