Introducing our programme for An American in Paris: Gershwin, Holst and McNeff
For our upcoming concert, we have put together a programme that showcases the special nature of the contemporary wind band canon, featuring works that are technically challenging but remain accessible to a general audience.
At the heart of the programme are two works with strong jazz influences: George Gershwin’s ‘An American in Paris’, in the well-known arrangement by Mari van Gils, and Joseph Horovitz’s 'Bacchus on Blue Ridge'.
Originally sketched for orchestra, 'Bacchus on Blue Ridge' was later revised and finalised by Horovitz as a piece for wind orchestra. Its premiere in this form took place at the BASBWE Conference in Manchester in 1984. This lively and at times raucous piece incorporates allusions to the music of Gershwin and Aaron Copland, all filtered through Horovitz’s playful compositional style.
Alongside Gustav Holst’s classic Second Suite in F, the rest of the programme is dedicated to contemporary works for wind orchestra.
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Nicola Renshaw’s ‘Pabiaga’s Heart’ depicts the doings of Spanish water dogs, jumping around as they go about their work. Renshaw contrasts scampering, almost frantic passages with grander, more majestic sections, evoking the powerful imagery of the sea. At times, these latter sections hint at the sound world of works like Benjamin Britten’s ‘Peter Grimes or Frank Bridge’s ‘The Sea’. However, Renshaw’s overall style is distinctive, particularly in her subtle variations of thematic material and featuring of the xylophone throughout.
In his ‘Danceries’, Kenneth Hesketh draws on seventeenth-century melodies and combines them with original writing to create an original set of dance movements for wind orchestra. The most remarkable thing about Hesketh’s writing is the skill and creativity of his orchestration, creating wonderfully rich textures, especially in the third movement ‘My Lady’s Rest’.
Despite being written within five years of Hesketh's ‘Danceries’, Stephen McNeff’s ‘The Winged Lion’ is a very different work. While ‘The Winged Lion’ is based on aspects of the city of Venice, it is not simply an homage to the city as an idealistic tourist destination. Instead, McNeff’s music is often unsettling, with the ability to turn from splendid to uneasy in seconds. This contrast is particularly striking in the transition between the first and second movements: the dramatic, regal climax of the first movement gives way to the shadowy, mysterious opening of the second, where chorale-like writing quickly dissolves into more chaotic elements.
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