Symphonic Band Strikes a Note in Concert

By Broadside Correspondent Amanda Loerch

On Feb. 26, faculty members Mark Camphouse’s Wind Symphony and Clyde Hughes Jr.’s Symphonic Band performed their Winter Concert at 8 p.m. in George Mason University’s Concert Hall.

Unfortunately, there were more than twice the number of performers on stage than there were seated patrons. Then again, there’s not much that can be done to promote a weekday evening concert that competes with traffic getting to Fairfax, through the masses on campus, and back out in time for early morning Wednesday work.

The program began with Country Band March, written by Charles Ives, “a pioneering composer,” according to Camphouse. Before they began, Camphouse said, “From the ‘out of tune’ introduction to the pandemonium which reigns at the close, Ives’ Country Band March is a marvelous parody of the realities of performance by a country band.” Besides Ives’ main theme, he quotes other tunes, such as “Battle Cry of Freedom,” “British Grenadiers,” “London Bridge,” “My Kentucky Home” and “Yankee Doodle.”

The ensemble also performed “Torch Dance,” written by James Barnes. Barnes wrote in his notes that this “violent and primitive” work would be challenging for both the performers and the conductor. He chose to orchestrate it for a wind ensemble that also included ethnic percussion instruments and even an electric guitar. Rob Vitale began the sassy 7/8 theme on E-flat clarinet, which was also ornamented by English horn, Joe Diliberti, who also maintained a similar style and energy as in Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. Soloists also included Nancy Glaser on jazzy bass clarinet and Emma Plehal with her rich bassoon low notes.

The first half of the concert ran nearly an hour long because Camphouse, also a private music instructor in conducting, took the time to give a few graduate students opportunities on the podium.

Jan Siegfried, a former clarinetist with the Air Force Band, chose to conduct Ronald LoPresti’s “Elegy for a Young American,” which opened with beautifully introspective lines played throughout the clarinet section.

“Intended for less experienced high school bands, [the piece] was written in 1964 in memory of former president John F. Kennedy,” according to the publisher, Theodore Presser Company.

Jaime Holscher then conducted “Color” by Bob Margolis, which, with the exception of the faster tempo and advanced key signature in the fifth movement “The Slip,” was better suited for an advanced middle school band rather than a top collegiate ensemble.

Holscher’s husband, Kurt Holscher, conducted Pageant by Vincent Persichetti, and began with Allen Smithson’s three-note motive on French horn, the basis for the entire work, and ended on an intended sour cluster of chords that nearly every instrumentalist contributed to.

Both Camphouse and Hughes provided great insight into many of the pieces because the programs that were handed out lacked program notes. The Department of Music requires even non-degree student recitals to contain research in each and every piece. It was odd to find no such insight from either established ensemble.

The physical programs were not nearly as prepared as the performance program. Sixteen pages were filled with lengthy “Life and Times” of the directors with inaccurate photos, wordy grad student conductor bios, information on past performances and even an ad for tickets to basketball games that had already occurred, except for the one the day after the concert at the Patriot Center; a completely separate venue.

The Symphonic Band is composed of undergrad and grad musicians, several doubling on secondary instruments–alum who can’t get enough, community members and students who love to play, and even high school band directors from other counties who drive their students out to Mason every Monday to play more.

Their portion included the gorgeous “Flourish for Wind Band” by Ralph Vaughan-Williams and Hugh Stuart’s “Hymn for Band,” which contained as much fullness and expression to “squeeze every ounce of emotion,” as Hughes once said in rehearsal.

They also performed the classic “Second Suite in F for Military Band”, written by Gustav Holst, which featured flawless solos all around. Patrons had the chance to hear Paul Damasco’s terrific euphonium solo twice for good measure in the first movement, “March,” and Dannah Hager soothed listeners with her solo in the second movement, “Song Without Words ‘I'll Love My Love.’” In the fourth movement, “Fantasia on the ‘Dargason,’” alto saxophonist Roberto Castro delighted the audience with his introductory solo jig.

As the concert concluded, Hughes thanked everyone for coming and encouraged them to come again, and bring friends. He said, “These musicians work very hard and the general public should know what’s going on here at Mason.”