Atlantic Brass Quintet
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ARTIST PROFILE Widely acclaimed as one of the world’s finest in Cooperation with Pacific’s Conservatory of Music presents brass ensembles, the ATLANTIC BRASS QUINTET has been heard in 48 of the United States and more than a dozen countries TLANTIC RASS UINTET across four continents performing a unique A B Q repertory spanning Dufay, Gesualdo, and LOUIS HANZLIK, trumpet Bach; Babbitt, Ellington, and Zappa; and ANDREW SORG, trumpet ethnic music from the streets of Brazil, Cuba, SETH ORGEL, horn the Balkans, and New Orleans. Winner of six TIM ALBRIGHT, trombone JOHN MANNING, tuba international chamber music competitions, the Quintet’s distinctive sound, impeccable 2 : 3 0 PM , Sunday, November 24, 2013 ensemble, stunning virtuosity, and warm, Faye Spanos Concert Hall inviting stage presence have won praise from University of the Pacific scores of critics. Founded in 1985, the Atlantic Brass Quintet GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL FROM MUSIC FOR THE ROYAL FIREWORKS (1749) launched its career with a phenomenal string (16851759) La Réjouissance: Allegro (arr. Jeffrey Luke) of competition victories over a period of two Bourrée (arr. Chris O’Hara) years. Grand prizes include the Coleman Menuets I and II (arr. Tim Albright) Chamber Music Competition, the Carmel JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH FROM WELL–TEMPERED CLAVIER (arr. Louis Hanzlik) Chamber Music Society Competition, the (16851750) Prelude and Fugue No. 11 in F major, BWV 880 Shoreline Alliance Chamber Music Prelude and Fugue No. in C minor, BWV 847 Competition, the Summit Brass First International Brass Ensemble Competition, and JOHANNES BRAHMS FROM ELEVEN CHORALE PRELUDES (arr. Andrew Sorg) the Rafael Mendez International Brass (18331897) Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen Quintet Competition. Following these Herzlich tut mich verlangen remarkable achievements, the Atlantic Brass O Welt, ich muß dich lassen Quintet was honored by Musical America by being named “Young Artists of 1988.” In May ENRIQUE CRESPO SUITE AMERICANA (1977) 1992, by unanimous decision, the Quintet (b. 1941) Ragtime won the “Première Prix” at the International Bosa Nova Brass Competition of Narbonne, France, Vals Peruano recognized worldwide as the preeminent Zamba Gaucha competition of its kind. Son de México The Atlantic Brass Quintet has been the INTERMISSION resident brass quintet of Boston University, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH JAZZ SUITE NO. 1 (1934) (arr. Johannes C. Schott) the Boston Conservatory. The popular (19061975) Waltz Atlantic Brass Quintet International Brass Polka Seminar, established in 1993 and now in Foxtrot residence at Boston University, has already secured the ensemble’s legacy to the next DAVE DOUGLAS PRIVATE MUSIC (2001) generation of brass musicians. A new annual (b. 1963) seminar on the West Coast was launched in TRADITIONAL BALKAN BRASS BAND MUSIC 2007 and is now based at Saint Mary’s Zvonce Kolo College of California. Hay Unos In February of 2014, the Atlantic Brass Doise Quintet and the University of Connecticut Wind Ensemble will premier Symphony No. 3 The ATLANTIC BRASS QUINTET is represented by Quintet Matinee by Kevin M. Walczyk, who BesenArts LLC, 7 Delaney Place, Tenafly, NJ 07670-1607 T: (201) 399-7425 F: 201-399-7426 composed the piece for the Atlantic Brass [email protected] www.besenarts.com Quintet and large wind ensemble, and which The ATLANTIC BRASS QUINTET records for Summit Records has won the 9th annual Raymond and Atlanticbrassquintet.com Beverly Sackler Music Composition Prize. Handel: Royal Fireworks Music JS Bach: Well-Tempered Clavier 57-year-old Brahms resolved to give up composing. Fortunately for us he The War of the Austrian Succession In 1722 Bach wrote a set of pieces for was unable to abide by his decision, sapped Europe’s prosperity but as soon keyboard that has become one of the and in the seven years before his as the ink was dry on the Treaty of Aix- most popular and influential works ever death he produced a number of la-Chapelle, England was ready for a composed, even though it was not acknowledged masterpieces, celebration. It was to be a magnificent published until half a century after his including a trio, quintet and two party with fireworks and music. A death. If Bach had left us only this work, sonatas for clarinet, several cycles of series of rather huffy letters which flew surely his immortality and his central piano pieces, the Four Serious Songs, among Handel, the king’s Master position in the history of music would Op. 121 and the Eleven Chorale General of Ordnance (who had the say- have been guaranteed. Preludes, Op. 122. so over military music), and Charles The Preludes and Fugues of the Well- Despite this burst of creativity, Frederick, who had been assigned the Tempered Clavier were composed in Brahms’ concluding years were remarkable title of Comptroller of his two groups of twenty-four each. In obsessed with thoughts of death. In Majesty’s Fireworks for War as for Triumph composing a Prelude and Fugue for those seven years he lost several of indicate that King George wasn’t too each key, in the order of chromatic his closest friends, including Clara keen on the idea of having any music at ascent, Bach glorified a new system of Schumann, the one person who had all! However, once Handel had assured tuning, in which the keyboard been most important to him the King that the music wouldn’t be instrument is tuned equally well for all throughout his life. As her death overly long, "he was better satisfied." keys, hence the term, well-tempered. approached, Brahms composed his But he "hoped there would be no But Bach had a second purpose in Four Serious Songs, which are austere fiddles." writing this music: he wanted to explore deliberations on mortality. Brahms The work is in five movements of the musical possibilities of two quite later acknowledged to a friend: “I which we hear three today. It was different kinds of music: the free didn’t exactly compose them on the originally scored for a large wind band prelude—the extension of a single idea occasion of her death, but the whole ensemble consisting of 24 oboes, 12 somewhat in the manner of a fantasia— time I’ve been thinking about death, bassoons (and a contrabassoon), nine and that most complex of contrapuntal on which I have very, very often had natural trumpets, nine natural horns, forms, the methodical fugue. opportunity to reflect!” During the three pairs of kettledrums, side drums Today we hear two preludes and summer of 1896, Brahms went one which were given only the direction to fugues, drawn from both Book I and last time to his favorite retreat—Bad play "ad libitum" (and no fiddles!). Book II. To begin, we hear the Prelude Ischl, in the mountains east of At the concert, the performing and Fugue in F Major, BWV 880 from Salzburg—and began what would be musicians were in a specially Book II. Written in five voices, the poetic his final composition, the Eleven constructed building and the music was prelude soars high through stages of Chorale Preludes for organ. That fall to have provided a background for the succeeding modulations but does not Brahms returned to Vienna, where he royal fireworks display. However, the prepare us for the terrestrial and lively grew weak, jaundiced, and began to display was not as successful as the fugue, which is a gigue. The Prelude and lose weight. He died of liver cancer music itself: the fireworks were an Fugue in C Minor, BWV 847 is among the the following spring. almost complete disaster and the briefest in Book I. The prelude is built The chorale prelude is an old form; enormous wooden building caught fire on a steady rush of sixteenths in both Bach had been one of its most just shortly after the musicians finished treble and bass that gives way in the distinguished practitioners. It is a playing. The music, however, had been closing measures to a great Adagio swirl variation form, usually for organ, performed publicly six days earlier before trailing off to the close. The based on the chorale tunes of the when there was a full rehearsal at concise fugue is in three voices German Protestant tradition: a Vauxhall Gardens. Over twelve indulging in various kinds of double composer will state the theme in its thousand people rushed for it, causing a and triple counterpoint. Considered original form and then extend that three-hour traffic jam of carriages after graceful, it nevertheless has a boldness melody either by varying it or the main route to the area south of the and undeniable virility. treating it contrapuntally. For Bach river was closed due to the collapse of such compositions were invariably the central arch of newly built London Brahms: Eleven Choral Preludes affirmations of faith, but for Brahms Bridge. After the first performance In his final decade, Brahms often (an agnostic, despite his strong Handel re-scored the suite for full spoke of having arrived at the end of his attraction to Christianity and his orchestra, and yes, he added strings. creative activity, and in fact, in 1890, the profound knowledge of the Bible) the Eleven Chorale Preludes became instead geography and history: there is New Douglas is an American jazz meditations on mortality and his death. Orleans ragtime, Brazilian bossa nova, a trumpeter and composer whose Today’s program includes three of the Peruvian waltz, an Argentine samba, music derives from many non-jazz eleven chorale preludes. The chorale and a song of Mexico to give us a musical styles, including classical tune of Est ist ein Ros’ entsprungen is radiant vision of the folk sounds of the music, folk music from European based on a rhenish folksong appearing Americas.