REPERTOIRE SESSIONS

Session 5: Friday, July 17

New Edmonton Wind Sinfonia

Raymond Baril, Director

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Caveat - Sally Lamb McCune

Krakatoa - Kah Chun Wong

Music with Chequered Ears - Arpad Balazs

Symbiopholie - Jonathan Dagenais

Bohemian Revelry - Adam Gorb

Caveat (2014)

7’ Grade 5 Sally Lamb McCune, United States

Composer Sally Lamb McCune found herself more and more intrigued by the relationship

between humans and machines. New advances in technology range from drones (unmanned

flying aircraft) and highly skilled industrial robots to “family” robots and humanoids that can

have conversations. Although cautionary tales of man-made creations gone awry or not new,

Sally thought it would be interesting to create a kind of musical cautionary tale. In CAVEAT,

she imagines a musical idea or creature itself being constructed assembly-line style. As it

moves through time, the idea undergoes constant tinkering. Abruptly shifting from one station

to another, without regard to a natural sense of pace or cadence, the music is intended to sound

mechanistic but playful. As the story progresses, some traits of the object that were once

slightly off-kilter become over-developed.

Sally Lamb McCune (b. 1966)

Born in Detroit, Sally Lamb McCune was educated at

the University of Toronto, California Institute of the

Arts, and earned her MFA and DMA at Cornell

University (1998). A dedicated teacher, Lamb McCune

has taught at Cornell University, Syracuse University,

and currently serves on the faculty at Ithaca College.

She has served as guest composer at Eastman School of

Music, University of South Carolina, Pepperdine

University, University of Pittsburgh, Bradford, and in

regional public schools in Syracuse and Ithaca. Her

music has been described as “contemporary, edgy,

descriptive, and extremely soulful,” and she has become

an important voice in the rising generation of American

composers. Her works, which range from solo and

chamber pieces to music for chorus, wind ensemble and orchestra, are convincing and

evocative, often blending the traditional with the avant-garde. Lamb McCune lives and

works in Ithaca, New York, where she teaches at Ithaca College.

Krakatoa (2012)

11’ 30” Grade 4.5 Tierolff Muisckcentrale, The Netherlands

The volcanic eruption of Mount Krakatoa, situated off the west coast of Java (Indonesia) in

1883 was one of the deadliest disasters of the 19th century. This tone-poem is in three broad

sections, and begins with an aleatoric prologue of woodwind solos evoking the memories of

the lost, before the appearance of a more cheerful section representing the daily life of the

coastal villagers. A reflective folk-like tune, with somber foreshadowing of small seismic ac-

tivity in the background, serves as closure to the first part. A percussive passage begins the

next section, creating the tension of increasingly intense eruptions before arriving at a huge

fugal sections amidst the presence of a tsunami and pyroclastic surges, and ending with a fi-

nal explosion that would have shattered the eardrums of survivors. The final part of the work

is an elegy in memory of the cruel tragedy, before ending with an epilogue of a new active

volcano replacing the former one, aptly named the “Child of Krakatoa”.

Kah Chun Wong (b. 1986)

Kah Chun Wong was born in Singapore and

studied conducting with Gustav Meier and

composition with Oscar Bettison at the Pea-

body Institute of Music. He is currently the

conductor of the Conservatory Sinfonia at the

Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. He

has been commissioned as a composer by nu-

merous groups, and has worked with numer-

ous wind bands as a conductor.

Music with Checquered Ears (2013)

10’ (7 movements) Grade 3.5 Editions Musica Budapest, Hungary

Television viewers of nearly a hundred countries have enjoyed Árpád Balázs' touching melo-

dies from this series of cartoons featuring the adventures of the rabbit with checkered ears and

his friends. Balázs has rephrased and developed the well-known melodies into an appealing

suite of seven movements, each representing characters or episodes from the series. While un-

deniably related to Prokoviev’s Peter and the Wolf, it is very different, primarily because the

inventive, swelling music, just like the cartoon, is not accompanied by narration. The instru-

ments are the story-tellers. Two possible combinations of movements allow the work to be

performed either in a shorter version with modest technical demands, or the complete suite.

Arpad Balazs (b. 1937)

Arpad Balazs studied composition at the Ferenc

Liszt Academy of Music under Ferenc Farkas,

then received further training in Aram Khacha-

turian’s master classes. Arpad’s rich oeuvre in-

cludes music for theater, oratorios, cantatas,

works for string orchestra and concert band,

choral works, film music, and pedagogical

works. He has also written three pedagogical

books on musical subjects. His work has been

recognized by the Hungarian state with awards,

including the Gold Medal of the President of the

Republic.

Symbiopholie (2009)

6’ Grade 3.5 Editions GAM, Canada

Symbiopholie! was commissioned by the St-Jerome Concert band for their 160th anniversary;

the oldest band in Canada. Jonathan attempted to find musical ideas that would emphasize

every aspect of the band and the pride of their long existence. The term Symbiopholie de-

scribes two feelings: symbiosis and craziness. For the band to go through the different eras of

its long existence, a symbiosis of the musical passion by the members of the band was neces-

sary. Also of great importance was showing the spirit of teamwork and the pride of belonging

to this group. The work has two distinct sections that oppose and comlpete themselves at the

same time. The first part is a slow march to emphasize the symbiosis of the ensemble and the

second part, double time, constitutes the unbridled craziness, lively and almost uncontrollable.

The entire piece mixes together in a style reminiscent of a march, the origin of military fan-

fares.

Jonathan Dagenais (b. 1983)

Jonathan Dagenais holds a Masters degree in Wind Orches-

tra Conducting from McGill University, a Bachelor’s degree

in Composition from the Université de Montréal as well as

a CEGEP Diploma in Music (classical percussions interpre-

tation). In addition to orchestra conducting and CEGEP

teaching (musical theory, composition, analysis, ear train-

ing, musicianship and music notation software), Mr. Dage-

nais is pursuing a career as a composer for wind orchestra.

Mr. Dagenais is frequently hired by musical summer camps

in Québec to conduct orchestras, bands and chamber music

groups. He's been guest conductor of various Canadian

Honor's Band (PEI, Quebec and Harmonie FAMEQ) and is

also regularly asked to adjudicate and give clinics at

many Canadian Musical Contests or Festivals. Since 2005,

Mr. Dagenais has acted as the conductor and artistic director

of the Orchestre à Vents Non Identifié (OVNI), a Montreal

wind orchestra he founded. This ensemble is dedicated to

collaborative and active listening, orchestral tone quality,

refined interpretation as well as adopting a humoristic approach.

Bohemian Revelry (2013)

14’ 30” (Four movements) Grade 5 Maecenas Music, England

Bohemian Revelry is a tribute to the verve and vigour of the music of the people of the Czech

Republic. It is also a celebration of the artistic and social freedom of a people without ties or

responsibilities who are always ready to party whenever and wherever possible as so vividly

and memorably painted in the second act of Puccini's timeless masterpiece, La Boheme. The

work is in four movements each based on well known Czech dances. The first is a Polka, a

dance in moderate duple tempo with an unexpectedly violent conclusion. The second is

Furiant - a very fast dance in triple time with a more nostalgic middle section. The furiant

eventually fades away taking us directly into the Sousdeka, a more pastoral movement in 3/4.

The fourth movement is a Skocna - a fast and lively dance which incorporates a hymn like

melody drawn from a famous Czech Christmas carol. The individual movements of this work

may be purchased separately, or as a complete set.

Adam Gorb (b. 1958)

Adam Gorb studied Music at Cambridge University

and Composition at the Royal Academy of Music in

London, where he graduated with the highest honors

including the Principal’s Prize, in 1993. His composi-

tions include orchestral, ensemble, chamber, solo and

choral works, and have been performed, broadcast and

recorded world-wide. In the UK his compositions have

had performances at contemporary music festivals in

Huddersfield, Cheltenham, Hampstead and Highgate,

Spitalfields and Canterbury, and he has had concerts

entirely devoted to his music in the UK, the USA and

Canada. Professor Adam Gorb is Head of School of

Composition at the Royal Northern College of Music in

Manchester. He has a PhD in Composition from the

University of Birmingham and has taught at universi-

ties in the USA, Canada, Japan and many European countries.

All works on today’s reading

session are available for sale from:

Midwest Sheet Music

2616 Metro Blvd

Maryland Heights, MO 63043

Ph. 314-942-1522

Instrumental@MidwestSheetMusic.com