As bundled audience members shuffled into the concert hall, still thawing from the Michigan chill, the sound of a brass band warming up on stage greeted them. On Saturday, January 29, 2022 at 8:00 pm in the Howard Performing Arts Center, the Southwestern Michigan College Brass Band and the Andrews University Wind Symphony provided a joint concert, featuring diverse works for the winter concert cycle. After a short introduction, the conductor of the brass band, Mark Hollandsworth, appeared on stage, and launched the group into a majestic fanfare, aptly named “Fanfare and Flourishes” by band composer James Curnow. With the percussion’s opening cymbal crashes, booming trombone harmonies and high trumpet flourishes, they set the stage for a night of great music.
Some notable selections of the brass band included “Hymn to the Fallen” by John Williams, scored for the movie “Saving Private Ryan.” The soaring lines carried by trumpets, horns, and euphoniums were accompanied by the distant military rattle of the snare drum, leading to an emotional climax. The beautiful brass swells throughout the piece prove once again that John Williams never fails to deliver. The final selection from Southwestern Michigan College, “Russian Christmas Music” by Alfred Reed and arranged by Bruce Fraser for brass band, started with tolling Russian bells in the percussion section. Soon after, the brass crept in and built up a sonic world based on the liturgical music of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which was completely vocal in origin.
After the intermission, the Andrews University Wind Symphony took their places at the stage and began warming up their instruments. Starting off with “Spoon River: An American Folk Dance” by Percy Grainger, the third clarinets kept the country beat while the saxophones passed the catchy folk tune between themselves. As more instruments got their role-playing out the dance melody, the band gradually added more sound until everyone suddenly cut out, leaving the flute, piccolo, and harp to transform the rough music into a softer, more lyrical version of the tune. Then, as the piano entered the fray with dissonant, chromatic lines, the entire band traveled through a section of spicy harmonies and complex rhythms–giving an unstable yet paradoxically satisfying variation of the simple tune. Regarding this piece among many others, Dhara Marquez (junior, violin performance) said, “I really appreciated how the percussion section was so coordinated when changing pieces and instruments, and how they knew exactly what instrument to pick up and play. It was funny to me that half the percussion section was piano majors.”
Later on in the program, the band turned to a completely different mood with “The Seal Lullaby,” yet another masterpiece by Eric Whitacre. With Eleanor Joyce (freshman, music education) on the piano solo, the band brought the piece to life with warm harmonies and dynamic swells. Another notable one, “Selections from ‘Into the Woods’” featured popular tunes from the musical itself, easily recognizable by the audience. The closing piece, “Vesuvius” by Frank Ticheli, with its driving 9/8 rhythms and syncopation, thoroughly depicted the panic and wild scene of Mount Vesuvius erupting amidst the city of Pompeii. Zoe Shiu (junior, music and psychology) says, “I think the soloists had amazing tone quality and intonation. My favorite was the piece “Vesuvius” because of its rhythmic complexity, fast pacing, and intense energy.”
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.