Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) Presents “Victorious Troy!” in Review
Troy High Jazz Ensemble and Troy High Symphonic Band, Brian P. Nutting, Conductor;
Troy High Percussion Ensemble, Jacob A. Greenwood, Conductor;
Troy High Freshman Orchestra, Troy High Combined Concert/Philharmonic Orchestra, and Troy High Symphony Orchestra, Wendy Stuart, Conductor;
Troy High Combined Cadet/Concert Band, Brian P. Nutting and Jacob A. Greenwood, Conductors
Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall, New York, NY
April 25, 2022
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presented another one of its trademark musical spectaculars this Monday with no fewer than seven ensembles of orchestra and band musicians – amazingly all from one school, Troy High in Michigan – and the spirit was jubilant. In a three-hour-long evening of classical, jazz, Broadway/film, and popular music performances – some quite expert – these youngsters from Troy and their music directors proved themselves a credit to their hometown and state.
The evening kicked into high gear right away with the Troy High Jazz Ensemble (some twenty strong) playingJeff Bunnell’s Ten Brothers, led by Brian P. Nutting, who moved suavely to the side to showcase the young players. Far from micromanaging, Mr. Nutting gave a few snaps of the fingers, and the group launched their Big Band era sound with smooth sax soli, precise percussion, and high polish all around. Cole Porter’s I’ve Got You Under My Skin (arr.Dave Wolpe) followed, featuring some impressive vocal work by Mia Simone and Varun Ganapathy, both of whom fared well even against some occasionally overwhelming ensemble volume. Stevie Wonder’s Overjoyed (arr. Mark Taylor) featured excellent work by solo tenor saxophone (unfortunately uncredited as with many of the evening’s soloists), and this ensemble’s set was concluded by Rich Woolworth’s Blue Light Special, with players no longer in their chairs but sitting on the edge of stage – all in all, a blast (pun intended)!
It is not easy to go in reverse chronology after a Big Band sound to the more delicate sonorities of the eighteenth century, but the Troy High Freshman Orchestra under conductor Wendy Stuart established their separate tonal world commendably for Mozart’s Symphony No. 29 (arr.Thomas Lajoie). The transparency of this music can be rather unforgiving given the inevitable intonation issues which one knows to expect at the freshman level (particularly in the upper strings in softer sections), but as the music continued the ensemble gained in unity and focus.The contemporary selections, from Soon Hee Newbold’s adventurous Equuleus to Richard Meyer’s modally-colored Minotaur, were evocative with their colorful, mythological themes and seemed to capture the performers’ imaginations (and thus the audience’s as well). Ms. Stuart is to be congratulated on leading what I counted as forty-three string players in this challenging fare. Kudos to all!
Also under Ms. Stuart’s direction was the Troy High Combined Concert/Philharmonic Orchestra, with thirty-one string players.The first movement (Allegro Moderato) of J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 (arr. Lynne Latham) was given a vigorous account.Justin Hurwitz’s Music From La La Land (arr. Robert Longfield) followed the Bach remarkably well – with its sequences hearkening back to those same days (long before “La La Land” existed), and Shostakovich’s famous Waltz No. 2 (arr.Paul Lavender) concluded this group’s offerings. The latter added that mixture of bitter darkness with almost circus-like energy that the Russian master exploited often (aptly unsettling in the midst of our current events), and the players seemed swept up in its spirit. In all three selections the cello section seemed to this listener to outweigh the upper strings a bit at times, but it actually benefitted the Shostakovich somehow.
The Troy High Symphony Orchestra followed, sixty players strong (again under conductor Wendy Stuart), and they took on the fourth movement (Allegro Giocoso Ma Non Troppo Presto) of Joseph Suk’s Serenade For Strings. It seemed a somewhat surprisingly ambitious choice, but they handled it well, with energy and not too many glitches. What must have been a last-minute program change caused some disorientation to follow, as we were expecting from the printed program to hear Paint It Black (Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, arr. John Reed For The Hampton String Quartet) but instead were hearing George Walker’s Lyric For Strings. Those in the know recognized George Walker’s 1990 expansion of the second movement of his own String Quartet No. 1, which he wrote while still a student at the Curtis Institute of Music (1946). Originally entitled Lament, it had been dedicated to his grandmother, a former enslaved person, and is profoundly moving. At any rate, the ensemble played it with appropriate reverence before proceeding with Paint it Black, also played well. The symphony offerings ended with Tribute to John Williams, crafted by arranger Paul Lavender on themes from Star Wars, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harry Potter, Superman, and E.T.– all good fun, and well done!
As the evening wore on, the hazards of such long concerts became apparent, as audience members started coming and going at will, as if in a day-long festival, checking phones in the interim as well as during the music. There is an answer to this distraction, which would be to keep each ensemble’s offering a bit shorter – and the audience would be able to focus accordingly. Additionally, if the stage set up could somehow be streamlined that would spare everyone as well. Not everyone can listen in a focused way for three solid hours without flagging (and undoubtedly there were some non-musicians present mainly to hear “their” person).
Fortunately for everyone the last groups were rousing enough to counter most fatigue. The Troy High Combined Cadet/Concert Band under Brian P. Nutting played a light and fun (much truncated) arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue (arr.Michael Story), after which conductor Jacob A. Greenwood led the same group in an energizing version of Karl L. King’s Broadway One-Step (arr. John P. Paynter). Mr. Nutting returned for Rossano Galante’s The Wishing Well, but what really brought the house down was their performance of Bob Gaudio’s Highlights From Jersey Boys (arr.Michael Brown). It was hard not to dance in the aisles to it! Songs from the group The Four Seasons were Walk Like a Man, Big Girls Don”t Cry, Ragdoll, Oh, What a Night, and Can’t Take My Eyes off of You.
The Troy High Percussion Ensemble under Jacob A. Greenwood then took the stage withEric Peel’s harrowing piece, Escaping A Nightmare, a tour de force which featured some outstanding mallet work. One can only imagine if these players are so good now, how great they will sound in several years!
To close the evening we heard Troy High’s excellent Symphonic Band (fifty-five strong and under Brian P. Nutting again). Their playing of Meredith Willson’s Seventy-Six Trombones (arr.Leroy Anderson, ad. Jay Bocook) was just right for their big healthy sound, and Selections from Aladdin by Alan Menken (arr.John Moss) brought new life to these familiar melodies. An excellent flute solo (again, alas, uncredited) introduced Stephen Schwartz’s Popular (From The Broadway Musical Wicked, arr. Jay Bocook) and as the icing on the cake we heard Robert Sheldon’s Metroplex: Three Postcards From Manhattan, a dramatic tribute to New York City, including a musical depiction of a wild taxi ride through the metropolis. Cheers to a great finale, with hopes that no one had quite such an “exciting” taxi ride while here! Congratulations to all!
