The J-TAC

Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Alicia Garza Ashli Melton and the Wind Ensemble performed Monday in the fine arts theater.

The Wind Ensemble concert on Monday was an excellent performance. It was well played and the pieces chosen had something to fit everyone's taste.
This concert was dedicated to the memory of Lauren Green and it was announced that an endowment scholarship was being started in her name.
Bonehenge, Tarleton's Trombone Choir, began the concert with "Achieved is the Glorious Work" composed by Franz Joseph Hadyn and arranged by Donald G. Miller. The piece had good tone and the pentameter was kept precise from beginning to end.
Then the Chamber Winds played Serenade in Eb, opus 7. Richard Strauss wrote this piece when he was only 17 years old. It was beautifully played and the group seemed to be very talented.
Then the full winds ensemble came to the stage to begin with "My Jesus, Oh What Anguish" composed by Johann Sebastian Bach and arranged by Alfred Reed. The piece was sad, slow and haunting and the emotion easily touched the audience. Despite how lovely most of the piece sounded, someone in the higher register went flat but quickly adjusted.
The next piece the ensemble played was "Scenes from the Louvre" by Norman Dello Joio, which is a score from a television series about the Louvre. "Scenes from the Louvre" is in five movements.
The first is called "The Portals." It is an amazing introduction to the piece and had a very large impressive brass part.
The second movement is "Children's Gallery," which had a very childish and frivolous sound. When listening to this piece, I imagined first a parade of clowns, then a ballet and after that an army of toy soldiers. Despite how clear the imagery for this movement was, someone did get a bit flat towards the end of this piece.
The third movement is "The Kings of France." The tone for this movement is very grand and stately. There were very rich tones coming from the brass section. It was highly enjoyable to listen to in the audience.
The next movement is "The Nativity Paintings." The movement had a very good use of dynamics, but I felt that the oboes may have been rushing the rest of the band.
The last movement was "Finale" which was very dramatic and exciting. The movement was very well-played and everyone kept in tune while playing fortismo. This piece won an Emmy Award for best score to a television show. Director Jonathon Hooper had his own story to tell.

Continued...

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