One of a number of recently released CDs of wind orchestra music,
performed by an American university ensemble, this adds to a
fine collection of music for the genre on Naxos. The standard
of playing from these students is excellent and comes across
with professionalism.
H Owen Reed’s
Overture 1940 is an enjoyable piece
which seems to combine subtle musical elements from different
parts of the world into a coherent whole. The warlike drumming
at the opening, combined with the date of the title, suggests
a connection with the Second World War. This is a mostly lyrical
piece which was originally composed for orchestra and was arranged
by William Berz, with the approval of the composer, in 2005.
Reed’s
Fanfare for Remembrance has a biting opening,
where silence forms an important part of the composition, building
tension. Although the playing is good, there are some minor untidy
moments of ensemble. The flugelhorn solo is beautifully played,
however, with a muted tone and delicate balance. Using the well-known
melody, the
Battle Hymn of the Republic, Reed’s
setting uses wonderful harmonies and puts the melody into a poignant
and well-conceived context. The narrator is perhaps one step
too far into a film-like haze, with a poem by Genée heard
over trumpet ostinati. Even so, the effect is an interesting
one, with the repeated musical material allowing time for respectful
reflection. Reed is not a composer I had encountered before,
but on the basis of these two pieces I’d like to hear more.
Karel Husa was born in Prague in 1921 and moved to the United
States in the 1950s. His
Smetana Fanfare was written in
1984 for San Diego University’s Smetana Festival, and is
based on material from Smetana’s own music. Husa’s
language is direct and powerful. This is a strong work which
imprints upon the memory.
The most striking thing about the opening of Husa’s
Music
for Prague 1968 is the well controlled and confidently played
solo piccolo, which builds into a showcase for flutes and later
oboes, heard over a punctuated timpani melody. The full power
of the brass section enters, creating at first a bold unison,
followed by a dramatic fanfare, with strong rhythms, repeating
elements and powerful percussion writing. The timpani melody
is once again framed with a unison pedal note from the trumpets,
to impressive effect, before the piccolo once again takes over.
This is the first of four dramatic movements which are full of
symbolism and form a strong memorial to the Soviet invasion of
Czechoslovakia in 1968. The second movement, an
Aria,
boasts dissonant harmonies and rising tensions, despite its calm
tempo. The third movement is an interlude for percussion, with
the bells of Prague represented against ominous silences before
a side-drum piles up the tension into the outbreak of the final
movement. The rhythmic precision in the finale perhaps betrays
that these are student players; although accurate, the playing
does not have the tight precision this music needs. In the style
of a Toccata, this music features repeated rhythmic patterns
in a vivid battle scene. This comes to an abrupt end, with the
timpani theme re-emerging. The building unison develops into
a chorale of the theme. This is extended and allowed to dominate
as the other elements of the piece retreat. Music with a very
strong meaning, this is emotionally draining for performers and
audience alike and demonstrates Husa’s excellence as a
composer.
A third piece by Reed follows; in many ways the Husa would have
made an excellent end to the disc and anything heard immediately
after it will always be something of a disappointment.
Renascence seems
innocuous after
Music for Prague, but its cheerfulness
is infectious and the light-hearted style is a suitable antidote
to the heavy emotion of Husa’s music.
Another Czech composer who emigrated to the US in the 1950s is
Václav Nelhýbel. His
Fanfares also demonstrate
the influence of Smetana, and following a dramatic opening, lyrical
melodic lines are heard over a static harmony.
The final work on the disc is William Schuman’s
George
Washington Bridge, a work describing the changing aspects
of the famous New York landmark, paying tribute to its architecture
and the composer’s anthropomorphic view of the structure.
The music is expansive, and I particularly enjoyed a section
which could easily be descriptive of the horns from traffic on
the bridge and possibly also of boats passing underneath [7:22].
This is a successful disc which will, I hope, contribute towards
the wider recognition of wind orchestra music. The playing is
good and each piece is delivered with confidence and commitment.
The range of repertoire is interesting and varied, with much
to offer.
Carla Rees
Rutgers Wind Ensemble/William Berz;
Nicholas Farco (narrator) 
