University of Louisville Wind Ensemble
| La'i | Bright Sheng |
| Three Spanish Songs | Matthew Tommasini |
| Entrata | Kryzstof Pendereki |
| Day Signal | Toru Takemitsu |
| Night Moves (with solo cello and marimba) | Frederick Speck |
| Partita | Robert Linn |
| Interval/Intermission | |
| Blaze | Steve Rouse |
| Cheetah | Karel Husa |
| Fourth of July | Morton Gould |
| They are Here | Charles Ives |
| The Alcotts | Charles Ives |
| Fascinating Ribbons | Joan Tower |
Louisville Gives a Distinguished Performance
On the second evening of the conference, delegates and concert goers from across County Kerry were treated to an exciting performance by the University of Louisville Wind Ensemble under the direction of Frederick Speck. The program, at first glance, resembled a Rick Steves podcast library: short, pithy works by composers from far and wide. Notable, however, was the appearance of two European premiers—Karl Husa's Cheetah and Matthew Tommasini's Three Spanish Songs.
By the end of the first half of the performance, the members of the ensemble had distinguished themselves with a presentation of assertive musicality and powerful precision. The concert opened with Bright Sheng's colorful fanfare La'i, which promised the audience would wont neither for horn nor trumpet sound in the program to follow. The flexible Louisville band proceeded with a number of chamber compositions, beginning with the Three Spanish Dances.
Tommasini's setting of works by several notable Spanish poets was sung with great passion and command by Edith Davis Tidwell. The piece was originally a cycle for voice and harp, but was reworked for a new palette at the urging of Michael Haithcock. The ensemble—Flute, Oboe/English Horn, Clarinet/Bass Clarinet, Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Piano, and 4 percussion—performed with tremendous sensitivity and stylistic empathy. The work takes full advantage of the colors available to these instrumentalists, the piano making its thunderous presence known to good effect in the second movement. The third movement closes with a bit of text-painting as rising layers of ostinati depict the apparition of a floating child.
Dr. Speck's program continued with a back-to-back presentation of Penderecki's Entrata and Takemitsu's Day Signal. These, again featured excellent brass ensemble and solo playing.
The conductor's own Night Moves brought together his chamber ensemble with marimba soloist Greg Byrne and cellist Paul York. Excellent timing among the marimba, harp, bass and piano players contributed a wonderful Latin feel to the composition. The cello provided a beautiful soaring lyric to contrast with the rhythmic energy.
The second half of the program featured a work completed last year with the rather un-Husian title, Cheetah. The 1999 commission for the piece was intended for reduced forces, but the composer felt his ideas could be better realized with a full-band scoring. The result is less a narrative than a structured 'impression' that evokes the building energy of the chase and concludes as our imagined protagonist has been unsuccessful in the kill. Still, from our perspective a satisfying work, especially with tonight's performance, very capably concluded with a whisper of sustained octaves in the upper woodwinds.
The balance of the program, comprised of decidedly less weighty material, offered a sampling of American composers including Joan Tower, Morton Gould, Steve Rouse and an audience-pleasing Charles Ives offered by guest conductor Dennis Johnson.
By the end of the evening the University of Louisville Wind Ensemble had demonstrated an exciting and joyful, yet earnest conviction to an interesting and challenging program.
Concierto de la Banda Sinfonica de la Universidad de Louisville
Seguramente el excelente concierto dado por el Wind Ensemble de la Universidad de Louisville, bajo la batuta de Frederick Speck, quedara como uno de los mejores momentos de esta 13. edicion de la conferencia internacional WASBE.
El auditorio del INEC (Ireland National Events Centre) estaba colmado por un publico deseoso de escuchar lo que en el programa de mano se anticipaba como muy interesante. Nombres como Penderecki, Takemitsu o Husa, no pueden dejar a nadie indiferente. La banda de Louisville cumplio con creces ofreciendo un concierto excepcional, mostrando una gran destreza tecnica y una realizacion sonora muy equilibrada. Cabe destacar que este grupo esta acostumbrado a abordar este tipo de literatura, y que las grandes dificultades tecnicas del programa no parecieron afectarlo. Cada obra requirio una disposicion o un organico diferente.Cuando se realizan demasiados cambios escenicos en un mismo concierto, la atmosfera musical se ve interrumpida. No obstante este detalle tecnico, la gran variedad sonora propuesta por Louisville permitio capturar la atencion del publico en cada nueva intervencion.
El programa comenzo con « La’i » del compositor de origen tibetano Bright Sheng, para dar paso a una de las obras centrales de la noche, el estreno europeo de « Three Spanish Songs » del joven compositor Matthew Tommasini (1978). La obra es un ciclo de tres canciones basadas en poemas de Leopoldo Lugones, Ruben Dario y Jose Marti.
« Olas grises », « Nocturno » y « Sueño despierto », respectivamente, proveen la base para un tratamiento orquestal refinado, tan solo 11 instrumentos de viento, mas harpa, piano, contrabajo y percusion, creando una atmosfera de gran tension lirica. La solista invitada fue Edith Davis Tidwell. La obra de Tommasini esta muy lograda y constituye un gran aporte al repertorio.
La dos obras siguientes « Entrata » de Kryzystof Penderecki (1933) y « Day Signal » de Toru Takemitsu (1930 – 1996), escritas para grupo de metales, fueron tocadas sin interrupcion, creando un contraste interesante entre la verticalidad del primero contra la espacialidad del segundo. Remarcable la calidad sonora del grupo de metales de Louisville.
Frederick Speck (1955) no solo concibio y dirigio todo el programa, sino que mostro sus dotes de compositor con su obra « Night Moves », para pequeño ensemble, marimba y cello solistas. Greg Byrne y Paul York fueron los solistas invitados.
La primera parte del programa concluyo con la magnifica « Partita » de Robert Linn.
Luego de una pequeña pausa, el concierto continuo con « Blaze » de Steve Rouse (1953) para dar paso a otro momento esperado de la velada, el estreno europeo de « Cheetah » (2007) la reciente composicion de Karel Husa, encargo de la Universidad de Louisville.
La obra es una metafora musical del gran felino en vias de extinsion. Todos los elementos caracteristicos del lenguaje musical de Husa estan condensados en solo 7 minutos de gran intensidad.
Luego de la obra de Husa, el caracter del concierto giro hacia lo mas ligero y humoristico, con « The fourth of july » (1947) de Morton Gould, increiblemente virtousa a pesar de su tematica ironica, y dos obras de Charles Ives « They are there ! » (1942) con la participacion del maestro invitado Dennis Johnson, y la transcripcion de « The Alcotts » de Richard Thurston.
El concierto bien hubiera podido terminar en este momento, aunque Speck ofrecio todavia una version luminosa de « Fascinating Ribbons » (2001) de Joan Tower (1938) para redondear una actuacion remarcable, de un nivel tecnico y musical excepcionales y de una gran exigencia intelectual para el auditorio. Un tour de force enorme.
©2007 WASBE and/or the contributing author/photographer