The Cal Poly Humboldt Department of Dance, Music, and Theatre Presents the “Cal Poly Humboldt Wind Ensemble” directed by Chris Cox. Join us Friday May 2nd at 7:30 pm at the Fulkerson Recital Hall. Tickets are $15 General, $5 for Children, and free for Humboldt Students with ID. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at tickets.humboldt.edu/dance-music-and-theatre.

The program for the evening includes performances of:

Mother Earth Fanfare by David Maslanka. Mother Earth was composed in 2003 for the South Dearborn High School Band of Aurora, Indiana.. Maslanka was reading, “For a Future to be Possible” by the Vietnamese monk and teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh. He believes that the only way forward is to be extremely alive and aware in our present moment, to become awake to the needs of our beloved planet, and to respond to it as a living entity. 

First Suite for Band by Alfred Reed. First Suite was commissioned by R. Lee Holmes and the Edmonton (Canada) Public School Symphonic Band, which premiered the work on April 3, 1975. The four-movement suite begins with March, a tense dissonant-tinged section that features a hard-driving treatment of a dramatic marching theme that keeps its momentum to the very end. Melody unfolds a long, lyrical line that subsequently develops to a broad climax and then diminishes to a quiet coda. Rag is a light scherzo, set in ragtime rhythms and motifs. Gallop, the finale, is an authentically styled American circus galop. The piece gallops with lively rhythmic nuance and dynamic melodies, transporting the listener to the heart of the circus. 

Incantation and Dance by James Barnes Chance. Incantation and Dance was written in 1960 and originally called it Nocturne and Dance -- it went on to become his first published piece for band. Its initial “incantation,” presented in the lowest register of the flutes, presents most of the melodic material of the piece. Chance uses elements of bitonality throughout the opening section to create a “sound world mystically removed from itself.” This continues as the dance elements begin to coalesce. When the dance proper finally arrives, its asymmetrical accents explicitly suggest a 9/8 + 7/8 feel, chafing at the structure of 4/4 time.

Allerseelen by Richard Strauss Arr. Albert O. Davis. Richard Strauss was one of Germany's greatest composers. A great master of orchestration, he created tone poems in which the orchestra became one marvelous instrument, capable of expressing the whole gamut of human emotions. His art songs also achieved fame and success, among which Allerseelen became a great favorite. Several times it has been transcribed for orchestra; however the present setting is the first for symphonic band. 

Vesuvius by Frank Ticheli. Mt. Vesuvius, the volcano that destroyed Pompeii in A.D. 79, is an icon of power and energy in this work. Ticheli had in mind a wild and passionate dance such as might have been performed at an ancient Roman bacchanalia. Throughout the work, you will hear explosive and fiery rhythms, exotic modes and melodies, and quotations from the Dies Irae from the medieval Requiem Mass. This fiery bacchanalia could easily represent a dance from the final days of the doomed city of Pompeii.

In addition to the works being performed by the whole ensemble, the program includes pieces performed by a Clarinet Quartet and a Low Brass Ensemble.

When: May 2nd at 7:30pm

Where: Fulkerson Recital Hall

Price: $15 General, $5 Children and FREE for Humboldt Students w/ID

Ticket Purchase

Contact: Cal Poly Humboldt School of Dance, Music, and Theatre, 707-826-3566, mus@humboldt.edu