Wind Symphony

About the Program

Program notes by Mark Bilyeu except where noted.

Ludwig van Beethoven
March No. 1 in F Major
Born December 16, 1770, Bonn, Germany
Died March 26, 1827, Vienna, Austria.
Composed 1809/1810
Duration 3 minutes

Beethoven wrote a total of three military marches in his lifetime, several at which were at the request of Archduke Anton (brother of Beethoven’s patron, the Archduke Rudolph, most synonymous with the “Archduke Trio”). In 1810, Rudolph asked Beethoven to send him a group of marches  for a carrousel (horse-ballet) which was to be staged in late summer of that year. Beethoven replied “I see that Your Imperial Highness wants to have the effects of my music tried on horses as well. All right. But I must see whether the riders will thereby be enabled to make a few skillful somersaults — well, well, I cannot help laughing at the idea of Your Imperial Highness’s thinking of me on this occasion as well. And for that favor I shall remain as long as I live, your most willing servant.”  He dedicated this march in F major to “his Royal Highness Archduke Anton,” giving it the subtitle in honor of the Bohemian General Yorck and his troops: “Marsch des Yorck’schen Korps.” In the post-script to his letter to Anton, Beethoven concluded: “The music for horses which you have asked for will be brought to Your Imperial Highness at the fastest gallop.”

Paul Hindemith
Geschwindmarsch from Symphonia Serena
Born November 16, 1895, Hanau, Germany
Died December 28, 1963, Frankfurt, Germany
Composed 1946
Premiered February 1, 1947, Dallas Symphony, Antal Dorati, conductor
Duration 4 minutes

In 1938, Paul Hindemith and his wife left Germany for Switzerland after the Nazi party declared Hindemith’s music “degenerate.” By 1940, they had settled in the United States where he began serving on the faculty of the Yale School of Music, and in 1946, Hindemith received his U.S. citizenship. That same year, he was commissioned by the Dallas Symphony to write a large-scale work, which he titled Symphony Serena, or “The Serene Symphony.” The title was, perhaps, a bit tongue-in-cheek for a composer whose music was often known to be, well: ‘not serene,’ but throughout the four-movement work, Hindemith’s singular chromaticism and unique timbre combinations shine through. The “Geschwindmarsch” is the second movement of this symphony, and utilizes only woodwinds, brass, and percussion (the following third movement is reserved for the strings), and is based on Beethoven’s military march “Yorck’she Marsch.” Here, Hindemith utilizes fragments of the familiar theme as he unravels and re-fabricates this march that would have made Beethoven’s head spin (and Archduke Anton’s horses combust)
 

Jennifer Higdon
Mysterium
Born December 31, 1962, Brooklyn, New York  
Composed 2002/2011   
Premiered April 20, 2011; Emory Wind Ensemble; Scott A. Stewart, conductor  
Duration 7 minutes  

Mysterium is Higdon’s own arrangement of her sacred choral work O Magnum Mysterium for wind ensemble. The original work was reviewed in the Main Line Times: “Jennifer Higdon has become one of the most sought-after up-and-coming composers in America. She has responded to that position as well as her growing acclaim by composing music that is both challenging and accessible. Her O Magnum Mysterium is a clever setting in both Latin and English of the traditional text that marvels at the birth of the Saviour… the music is harmonically original yet compellingly comprehensible, perhaps.” Higdon includes a program note for this wind ensemble arrangement on her website: “Mysterium is a tribute to the wonderful mystery of how music moves us. Perhaps it is the unexplainable that creates such magic, for both the performer and the listener, but there is no denying the incredible power of a shared musical experience. This arrangement of this work was commissioned by Scott A. Stewart, Emory University Wind Ensemble, and Scott Weiss, University of South Carolina Bands.” 

– Penny Brandt 

Karel Husa
Al Fresco
Born August 7, 1921,  Prague, Czech Republic
Died December 14, 2016, Apex, North Carolina
Composed 1975
Premiered  April 19, 1975, Ithaca College Concert Band, Philadelphia, PA, Karel Husa, conductor
Duration 12 minutes 

Al Fresco has its roots in Karel Husa’s 1947 orchestral work, Three Fresques for Orchestra, op. 7. Because the first movement was driven by extensive wind writing, Husa found the perfect opportunity to reimagine the music for wind band upon receiving a commission to compose a work for the Ithaca College Concert Band. Fittingly, this keystone work was the first of the heralded Walter Beeler Memorial Commissions. The first performance was given by the Ithaca College Concert Band (Edward Gobrecht, director) at the MENC Convention in Philadelphia on April 19, 1975, with the composer as guest conductor. The composer writes: "Al Fresco has no programmatic content. However, the title indicates my admiration for the art of painting, especially mural painting on wet plaster. And I have always been greatly moved by the forceful, even grandiose and rough, mysterious pictures dealing with primitive life, war, and pageantry."

– from the publisher

Michael Gandolfi
Flourishes and Meditations on a Renaissance Theme
Born July 5, 1956, Melrose, MA
Composed 2010
Premiered March 4, 2011, United States Marine Band “Pershing’s Own,” Michael J. Colburn, conductor
Duration 15 minutes

Flourishes and Meditations on a Renaissance Theme is a set of seven variations on an anonymous Renaissance melody that is simply titled Spagnoletta. It is derived from a popular melody titled Españoleta or ‘Little Spanish Tune.” I first knew this melody as quoted by Joaquín Rodrigo in his Fantasia para un gentilhombre for guitar and orchestra. I also found this tune in the 1970s in a collection of Renaissance songs for classical guitar, and I have played it in that form countless times over the years. I was motivated to probe this elegant tune with which I have been acquainted for four decades, with the expectation that it would prompt a wealth of ideas unique to such a longstanding relationship. The beauty and elegance of the original tune resides in its simplicity, so I chose to present it at the outset of the piece in a clear and streamlined orchestration. The form of Spagnoletta is AA BB and Coda. The first part of Flourishes and Meditations on a Renaissance Theme consists of variations I and II. Each of these variations adheres strictly to the form of Spagnoletta. Additionally, Variation I has a kinship to cubist painting in which various features of the original are fragmented, framed and juxtaposed, resulting in a kaleidoscopic amplification of its details. Variation II uses the entire Spagnoletta melody as a cantus firmus while new melodies and lines are sounded over it, an ancient musical technique popular in medieval and renaissance times. The second part is comprised of variations III, IV and V. These variations are the most wide-ranging of the set, but always maintain motivic connections to Spagnoletta. Variations III and V are each expressed in AA form and largely derived from the original. Variation IV uses the original motives in layered ostinato in canon. Variations VI and VII form the third and final part of the piece and function as the coda, recycling previously heard thematic material that leads to a final cadence. In this spirit, Variation VI points in two directions: it forecasts the main texture of Variation VII while briefly reflecting upon each variation already heard (in reverse order). Variation VII returns to the original Spagnoletta melodies but places them in a new "dream-like" environment featuring a series of pulsating patterns and textures interwoven with strands of each of the original melodies, all of which move the piece to a gentle close.

– Michael Gandolfi

Zhou Tian
Petals of Fire
Born 1981, Hangzhou, China
Composed 2017
Premiered  March 6, 2017, CBDNA National Convention. Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City, Missouri. Michigan State University Wind Symphony, Kevin Sedatole, conductor 
Duration 6 minutes

At the age of 12, Chinese-born composer Zhou Tian was already working as a studio pianist and arranger alongside his father, who worked as a composer for Chinese television shows. At the age of 19, Zhou moved to the United States and began his studies at the Curtis Institute, followed by The Juilliard School, and finally at the University of Southern California. Alongside his own cultural identity, his interests in jazz, dance, and film music combine to create sounds that have been described as “a prime example of 21st-century global multiculturalism.”  In 2018, he became the first Chinese-born composer to be nominated for a GRAMMY Award in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category for his Concerto for Orchestra. This work, which Zhou describes as “a love letter to the symphony orchestra,” follows the traditional concerto format of fast-slow-scherzo-finale, but unlike a traditional concerto (meant to feature one specific soloist), Zhou creates a work in which all instruments get to show off — even the timpani. Petals of Fire is taken from this GRAMMY-nominated orchestral work, and transformed for wind ensemble. As the composer writes, “Petals of Fire is a fierce and colorful rhapsody inspired by American artist Cy Twombly’s 1989 painting of the same title... I’ve always been interested in learning how artists mix different styles and techniques to create a unique, new look. Inspired by Twombly’s attempt to combine text and color to express himself visually (literally, words are part of his painting, much like what Chinese painters did during the Song dynasty), I, as a composer, wanted to create a fusion of musical styles, harmony, and timbre, using a large wind ensemble. In a way, everyone in the ensemble is a “petal”: together, the fire glows, disappears, and dances…”

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About the Artists

Douglas Henderson

Douglas Henderson serves as associate director of bands at The University of Texas at Austin, where his responsibilities include conducting the Wind Symphony, teaching advanced undergraduate and graduate conducting, and teaching band literature. Prior to joining the UT faculty, Dr. Henderson was an associate professor, associate director of bands, and director of athletic bands at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Henderson is active as a guest conductor, adjudicator, and clinician throughout the United States, and he has guest conducted in Austria and Japan. He is a frequent guest conductor of the World Youth Wind Orchestra Project (WYWOP), in Schladming, Austria. Dr. Henderson received his bachelor of music degree in music studies from The University of Texas at Austin, his master of music degree in wind conducting from Michigan State University, and his doctor of musical arts degree in wind conducting from The University of Texas at Austin. From 2003-2006, he was the associate director of bands at J.J. Pearce High School in Richardson, Texas.

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Wind Symphony

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