Spring Concert 2015 Press Release

The Cascade Winds Symphonic Band, under the direction of Michael Gesme, will present its final concert of the 2014-2015 season on Sunday, May 31, 2015 at 2:00pm in the Summit High School Auditorium. Admission is free, but donations are gratefully accepted.

The performance will open with “American Riversongs,” a pastiche of folksongs from a younger America, including ‘Shenandoah’ and Stephen Foster’s ‘The Glendy Burk,’ cleverly woven together by composer Pierre La Plante. Next will be a pair of works by two composers who share a similar musical esthetic, but have so very little in common. The first is a set of dances from “The Royal Fireworks” by the famous, baroque composer, G.F. Handel.  The second, a work titled “Six Contrary Dances” by the lesser known P.D.Q Bach, will undoubtedly raise a few eyebrows for it’s simultaneous allegiance to and blatant disregard of the compositional traditions of the Bach family. The first half will conclude with John Philip Sousa’s “The Free Lance March.” Considered a medley-march, “The Free Lance” is comprised of several melodies that are drawn from Sousa’s popular 1905 operetta of the same name.

The second half is dedicated to a single work, a new arrangement for wind ensemble of Carl Orff’s most famous composition, “Carmina Burana.”Inspired by a collection of sacred and secular poems, found in a Bavarian monastery, “Carmina Burana” is exceptionally powerful and wonderfully uncomplicated. Using the simplest of harmonies and incessantly repetitious rhythmic patterns, Orff is able to create huge textures of sound that have the power to overwhelm the listener with their cumulative effects. Earl Kelly, a former Professor of Music at Kent State University, has commented that “one can envy any listener [who is having their] first experience with this fascinating, hypnotic and utterly spontaneous music. “Whether this is your first or twenty-first experience with the music of ‘Carmina Burana,’” comments conductor Michael Gesme, “I’m confident you’ll be enchanted by the sonic experience.”

For additional information about this performance and the Cascade Winds please contact Michael Gesme at mgesme@cocc.edu or visit www.cascadewinds.org.

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