Wednesday, November 14, 2012

SBU Presents Wind Symphony Concert November 15

Southwest Baptist University News Release
Contact: Office of Marketing and Communications
417-328-1803


BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University Music Department presents the Wind Symphony in concert on Thursday, November 15, at 7:30 p.m.

Works by Shostakovich, Milhaud, and Ticheli will be performed by the 60-member ensemble. The free public performance will be held at Pike Auditorium on the SBU campus.

“A classic orchestral transcription, a cornerstone of wind band repertoire, and a new work destined for permanence in the repertoire…a program sure to please a variety of palates!” states Dr. Brian Hopwood, conductor and director of instrumental studies at SBU.

The concert will open with Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s "Festive Overture, Opus 96," a work originally written for orchestra in 1954 and transcribed for wind band by Eastman Wind Ensemble conductor (1965-2001) Donald Hunsberger in 1965. It is among the most-performed transcriptions for band and in addition to its distinctive Russian flavor, contains one of Shostakovich’s greatest attributes―the ability to write a long, sustained melodic line combined with a pulsating rhythmic drive.

Also included on the program is Darius Milhaud’s most significant work for full wind band, "Suite Francaise, op. 248" (1944). The five parts of this suite are named after French Provinces, the very ones in which the American and Allied armies fought together with the French underground for the liberation of France: Normandy, Brittany, Ile-de-France, Alsace-Lorraine, and Provence. Milhaud uses folk tunes of these Provinces and original folk-song material.

The concluding work, "Angels in the Architecture" by Frank Ticheli, is composed for soprano solo and wind band. The work unfolds as a dramatic conflict between the two extremes of human existence―one divine and one evil. The work’s title is inspired by the Sydney Opera House, the location of the premiere performance, with its halo-shaped acoustical ornaments hanging directly above the performance stage.

For more information, please call Brian K. Hopwood, department of music, at 417-328-1647 or email him at bhopwood@sbuniv.edu.


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Southwest Baptist University is a leader among private universities in truly integrating Christ-centered academic pursuits with comprehensive professional programs at an affordable price. At SBU, the faculty and staff create a caring, academic community to prepare students to be servant leaders in a global society. For more information, visit www.SBUniv.edu.