13 Band 10-1.pdf - Arts Academy High School

Interlochen, Michigan
13th Program of the 49th Year
*
INTERLOCHEN ARTS ACADEMY BAND
Donald McKinney, conductor
Friday, October 1, 2010 7:30pm, Corson Auditorium
Fiesta del Pacifico ........................................................................... Roger Nixon
(1921-2009)
Courtly Dances from Gloriana, Op. 53a ..................................... Benjamin Britten
(1913-1976)
arr. Jan Bach
Drei Lustige Märsche, Op. 44 ......................................................... Ernst Krenek
(1900-1991)
Symphony No. 2 ............................................................................. Frank Ticheli
Shooting Stars (b. 1958)
Dreams Under A New Moon
Apollo Unleashed
* * *
PROGRAM NOTES
by Donald McKinney
The works on this evening’s program are connected by celebration. Roger Nixon’s
Fiesta del Pacifico depicts an annual Spanish celebration that takes place in San
Diego. Benjamin Britten’s opera Gloriana was commissioned to celebrate the 1953
coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The set of dances that are presented this evening
are meant to depict the festive atmosphere of a sixteenth century masque. Ernst
Krenek’s Drei Lustige Märsche, or Three Merry Marches, was premiered as part of
the 1926 Donaueschingen Music Festival. Paul Hindemith was the festival’s
director and dedicated the 1926 festival to new music for wind instruments. Finally,
Frank Ticheli’s Symphony No. 2 is meant to celebrate the teaching and conducting
career of James Croft. The work was commissioned by a group of Croft’s former
students and marked his retirement from Florida State University as well as his
contributions to wind music.

Fiesta del Pacifico (1960) Roger Nixon
Fiesta del Pacifico is one of several festivals held annually in various communities in
California, which celebrate the Old Spanish Days in the State. This particular festival is
held in San Diego for twelve days in the summer, and features a play on the history of the
area with a cast of over a thousand, a parade, a rodeo, and street dances. Born and
raised in California's Central Valley towns of Tulare and Modesto, Roger Nixon acquired a
taste for the rhythms and dances of the early settlers of the state, and they appear in many
of his works. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley and joined
the faculty at San Francisco State University in 1960. His teachers were Arthur Bliss,
Ernst Bloch, and Arnold Schoenberg.
Courtly Dances from Gloriana, Op. 53a (1953) Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten’s seventh opera, Gloriana, was commissioned by Covent Garden to
celebrate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953. The libretto was by William
Plomer, after the book "Elizabeth and Essex" by Lytton Strachey. Heavily criticized after its
first performance, Gloriana has never found a permanent niche in opera houses. The
criticism was mainly aimed at the opera's scenario, which tended to highlight the Queen's
frailties, her personal relationship with the Earl of Essex, and the intrigues and jealousies
at Court. It was thought that the persona of Queen Elizabeth I of England should have
been portrayed as the monarch of a burgeoning European power. Britten was also
criticized for choosing to close the opera with the spoken word, rather than musically.
The Courtly Dances appear in the third scene of Act II. In the Great Room of Whitehall
Palace, the Queen is giving a ball. Accompanied by a stage band, the curtain rises on a
stately Pavane, followed by a Galliard. The Queen enters and upon catching sight of the
Countess of Essex, her jealous rival, she commands a La Volta - a vigorous dance during
which their partners toss the ladies in the air. It is so vigorous in fact that at its end the
Queen further commands that the "Ladies, go change thy linen"! Meanwhile a Morris
Dance is performed to entertain those who remain in the room. Britten subsequently
compiled the music from this scene into a symphonic suite.
Drei Lustige Märsche, Op. 44 (1924-26) Ernst Krenek
One of the most prolific composers of the twentieth century, composer Ernst Krenek wrote
in a wide variety of idioms. Described as “stylistically unstable,” Krenek experimented
throughout his career with many different manners of writing. He held Paul Hindemith in
high esteem in the early 1920s, however he eventually came to reject Hindemith's notion of
Gebrauchsmusik, writing, “the making of music should be left to the highly trained, while
children and amateurs should be schooled to appreciate it.” After the Nazis annexed
Austria in 1938, Krenek immigrated to the United States where he would become an
influential author and teacher.
John Carmichael has written the following about the work:
Drei Lustige Märsche is a collection of march parodies. As his response to
Hindemith's commission, Krenek submitted this composition, which pokes fun at the
typical military music of the day. From the stilted percussion introductions to the
disguised quotes of well-known tunes, like "Mexican Hat Dance," and "Can-Can,"
Krenek teases the present and the past, while pointing a finger to the possibilities of
the future.

Satirical and at times downright grotesque, these marches demonstrate Krenek's life-long
dislike of the military. Although traditional march rhythms and forms are employed, Krenek
seems interested in mocking the repertoire of the military bands by incorporating nonmilitary
elements.
Symphony No. 2 (2004) Frank Ticheli
The symphony’s three movements refer to celestial light – Shooting Stars, the Moon, and
the Sun. Although the title for the first movement, "Shooting Stars," came after its
completion, I was imagining such quick flashes of color throughout the creative process.
White-note clusters are sprinkled everywhere, like streaks of bright light. High above, the
E-flat clarinet shouts out the main theme, while underneath, the low brasses punch out
staccatissimo chords that intensify the dance-like energy. Fleeting events of many kinds
are cut and pasted at unexpected moments, keeping the ear on its toes. The movement
burns quickly, and ends explosively, scarcely leaving a trail.
The second movement, "Dreams Under a New Moon," depicts a kind of journey of the soul
as represented by a series of dreams. A bluesy clarinet melody is answered by a chantlike
theme in muted trumpet and piccolo. Many dream episodes follow, ranging from the
mysterious, to the dark, to the peaceful and healing. A sense of hope begins to assert itself
as rising lines are passed from one instrument to another. Modulation after modulation
occurs as the music lifts and searches for resolution. Near the end, the main theme returns
in counterpoint with the chant, building to a majestic climax, then falling to a peaceful coda.
The final B-flat major chord is colored by a questioning G-flat.
The finale, "Apollo Unleashed," is perhaps the most wide-ranging movement of the
symphony, and certainly the most difficult to convey in words. On the one hand, the image
of Apollo, the powerful ancient god of the sun, inspired not only the movement's title, but
also its blazing energy. Bright sonorities, fast tempos, and galloping rhythms combine to
give a sense of urgency that one often expects from a symphonic finale. On the other
hand, its boisterous nature is also tempered and enriched by another, more sublime force,
Bach's Chorale BWV 433 (Wer Gott vertraut, hat wohl gebaut). This chorale--a favorite of
the dedicatee, and one he himself arranged for chorus and band--serves as a kind of
spiritual anchor, giving a soul to the gregarious foreground events. The chorale is in
ternary form (ABA'). In the first half of the movement, the chorale's A and B sections are
stated nobly underneath faster paced music, while the final A section is saved for the
climactic ending, sounding against a flurry of sixteenth-notes.
~Program note by Frank Ticheli
* * *
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www.interlochen.org

DONALD MCKINNEY is the band conductor at Interlochen Arts Academy. Previously, he was
the associate conductor of ensembles at the Duquesne University School of Music where he
worked with the wind ensembles, orchestra, and opera workshop. He was also the assistant
conductor to violinist and conductor Sidney Harth and was responsible for teaching courses in
undergraduate conducting. After participating in the Second Frederick Fennell Conducting
Master Class, he was named a finalist for the Thelma A. Robinson Award by the Conductors
Guild. Dr. McKinney has participated in numerous conducting symposiums including New
England Conservatory, University of North Texas, University of Minnesota, and the Conductors
Institute of South Carolina. He has published several articles including an upcoming chapter in
Women of Influence in Contemporary Music. He received the doctor of musical arts degree in
conducting from the University of Michigan and his primary conducting teachers include
Michael Haithcock, Jack Stamp, and Robert Cameron. He has also completed additional study
with H. Robert Reynolds and Frank Battisti.
FLUTE
Jing Ping He, Fla. (piccolo) <
Kyung Ho Ko, South Korea~
Ashley Jackson, Ky. +
Margaret Brennan, Mich.
Haley Stickney, Fla. (piccolo) ^
Marissa Cecil, Ky.
Jae Eun Choi, South Korea
Jessica Wallace, Mich.
Minsun Park, South Korea
OBOE
Cara Tunstall, La. +~<
Wentao Jiang, China^
Dov Stanley, Wyo.
Betty Murphy, Ohio
E-FLAT CLARINET
Charles Sonoda, Calif. <
CLARINET
Morgan Kent, La. +<
April Benlein, N.M. ~
Taylor Marino, N.C. ^<
Francisco Brunner, Chile
Lingchen Li, China<
Matthew Hughes, Texas
Trevor Sparks, Ala.
Erin Kim, South Korea
BASS CLARINET
Brandon Konnow, Wis.
* * *
INTERLOCHEN ARTS ACADEMY BAND
J Berry, manager
BASSOON
Molly Murphy, Mass. *
Samantha Chau, Mich.
Emily Blandon Kovar, Fla.
Peng Zhang, China
ALTO SAXOPHONE
Sapphire Adizes, Calif. *
Henry Solomon, Calif.
TENOR SAXOPHONE
Taylor Matta, Ariz.
BARITONE SAXOPHONE
Bill Sears, IAA faculty
TRUMPET
David Koch, Mich. *<
C. Martin DeFrance, Miss. <
Samuel Botstein, N.J.
Robert Marx, Hawaii
Marianella Cordoba, Costa Rica
HORN
Hirofumi Tanaka, Japan*<
Clayton Ellis, Calif. <
William Kovaleski, Ohio
Philip Brindise, Fla.
Mateusz Jagiello, Poland
* Principal
^ Principal for Nixon
TROMBONE
Zongxi Li, China*<
Lena Piazza-Leman, Mo.
Katjana Nagel, Mich.
Kedrik Merwin, IAA faculty
EUPHONIUM
Sydney Richardson, Ind. *
Matthew Stumpff, Mich.
TUBA
Davis Erickson, Ill. *<
Akshat Jain, India
HARP
Charles Overton, Va. *
Johanna Wienholts, Ohio
Rachel Swinehart, Iowa
CELESTE
Joseph McNamara, Fla.
PERCUSSION
Evan Saddler, Iowa<
Chelsea Elder, Ohio
Noah McKee, Calif. +~
G. Donnie Spackman, Pa. <
Rose Egan, Pa. ^<
Skye Gunter, N.Y. <
+ Principal for Britten
~ Principal for Ticheli
< Playing for Krenek