Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) presents Windsongs in Review
Ed W. Clark High School Concert Band (NV)
Jeffrey A. Lacoff, director; David Seifert, assistant director; Julio Vargas, guest director
Ed. W. Clark High School Symphonic Strings
Charles Cushinery, Eric Maine, directors
Susan E. Wagner High School Wind Ensemble (NY)
Paul Corn, director; Brian Worsdale, guest director
Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY
April 12, 2019
We often hear about the lamentable state of affairs regarding music education in our country. Lack of funds and a focus on the latest fads in education are often cited as causes. Thankfully, there are still many programs not only surviving, but thriving, with the next generation of talent being nurtured and filled with a lifelong love of music. Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) hosted two such programs last Friday, the Ed. W. Clark High School (wind and string ensembles) from Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Susan E. Wagner High School (winds) from Staten Island, New York. They called their concert Windsongs.
To any regular reader of New York Concert Review it is no secret that I am a fan of both “band” music and young ensembles. At heart, I am still as much of a “band geek” as I was in the long-ago days when I was one of those youngsters having the time of my life. It’s truly a delight to see all the excited faces as the young musicians walk onto the stage of Carnegie Hall, ready to give their all. Lest people think that my feelings of nostalgia mean that a rave review is “in the bag,” they would be missing the fact that my experiences mean I am not easily fooled or dazzled by the tricks of the trade.
A few housekeeping items before I get to the performances. There were twenty-one works played this evening, so I am not going to mention each work, as that would turn this review into a book report. In the past, I would provide a link to the program so the reader could investigate further, but regrettably, DCINY has appeared to have ceased posting the concert programs on their website. Also, though the Susan E. Wagner High School Wind Ensemble played between the two Ed W. Clark groups, I am going to begin with them.
Led by Paul Corn, with guest director Brian Worsdale sharing the podium, the Susan E. Wagner High School Wind Ensemble hit the ground running. They did their tuning before taking the stage, something I wish more ensembles would do (especially the younger ones), and they lit right into the music. The instrumentation was well-balanced overall (something not always the case in High School ensembles), and no one section was dominant (also something not common in High School ensembles). The intonation and the ensemble were excellent overall.
Glenn Miller in Concert (arrangement by Paul Murtha), with quotes from In the Mood, Tuxedo Junction, A String of Pearls, Little Brown Jug, and Pennsylvania 6-5000, was smartly played with the old-time big band feel. Saturn Returns by Michael Markowski is a showstopper that these young players tore into with gusto. John Mackey’s This Cruel Moon, a poignantly beautiful work (adapted from the “Immortal thread, so weak” movement of his Wine-Dark Sea: Symphony for Band), was the highlight of their selections for this listener. It was an “A” that could have been an “A+” if there had been a bit more feeling of the heartache that abounds in this piece (as heard in an excellent recording done by the University of Texas Wind Ensemble led by Jerry Junkin). Yes, it is persnickety, but as the saying goes, “If you can do it this well, then you can do it even better!” Two Leonard Bernstein works (Slava! and a concert suite from On the Town) bookended their selections. Their supporters gave them a standing ovation at the end, and it was richly deserved.
The Ed W. Clark High School Concert Band took the stage to open the concert (and as a side note, I was intrigued by the tuning to Concert F). The conducting duties were shared by Jeffrey A. Lacoff, David Seifert, and Ed W. Clark alumnus Julio Vargas (Mr. Lacoff was also to been seen in the percussion section when not on the podium). Running though my standard checklist again: Well-balanced instrumentation – check (actually check-plus, as that is a dream come true for most High School ensembles), and good intonation and ensemble – check. There was again no single overly dominant section. Ten pieces were played, each from two to five minutes in duration.
This presents an interesting challenge for the reviewer, as the short duration of the pieces lends itself much more to “adjudication” then it does to a review. Reading of the band’s many superior ratings in adjudicated festivals does not surprise me, as their program seemed almost built to succeed in such format. I’ll try to do a bit of both adjudication and reviewing here. First, the review portion: Gershwin’s Second Prelude (arranged by John Krance) won me over, despite initial incredulity over the arrangement itself (from the piano version). It was a stylish and persuasive performance. Caesar Giovannini’s Overture in B-Flat (scored by Wayne Robinson) was brimming with energy and played with polish. Ginastera’s Danza Final from Estancia enjoyed a restrained tempo that allowed a cleanly articulated performance. It can so easily spiral into a helter-skelter, indistinct mess if too fast, but the group neatly avoided that fate. Derek Bourgeois’s Serenade with its irregular meter has a quirky charm which the ensemble captured well and with an appropriate sense of whimsy – good work! Finally, John Philip Sousa’s immortal march, The Stars and Stripes Forever (composed in 1896, not 1928 as stated in the notes), brought the audience to a standing ovation. Adjudication verdict: Superior, with one suggestion. The notes are all there, but there is an opportunity to heighten performance further with more careful attention to ensemble timbre. Poignant phrases (especially in Eric Whitacre’s The Seal Lullaby) need to be “softer” (in tone, not dynamics) to maximize the effect.
After intermission, the Symphonic Strings (also from Clark High School) took the stage. They were an impressive assemblage with fifty violins, twenty-one(!) violas, twenty-two cellos, and six string basses. Charles Cushinery and Eric Maine shared the podium. The sheer number of players had this listener thinking that perhaps this group was one of those in which “everyone gets in” regardless of ability. I was quickly disabused of this notion after a few measures of the opening movement of Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. Such true intonation for such a large group was striking, and the ensemble balance was every bit as impressive as well. The high level continued in the Intermezzo from Mascagni’s opera Cavalleria Rusticana.
Three selections from Béla Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances had a young girl (probably four or five-years-old) two rows in front of me happily dancing along to the music, which says more than any fusty “critic” words, and it was followed by the World Premiere of High Resolution by Jennifer Bellor, commissioned by the Ed W. Clark High School Symphonic Strings. This work has an atmospheric, dream-like quality, and Ms. Bellor writes in her notes that she took inspiration from two states of realities, being awake and being asleep. It is an effective work that is a worthy addition to the repertoire. The composer was present and rose to acknowledge the audience’s applause and to salute the orchestra.
The delightfully named Kwoktet, three brothers and a cousin sharing the last name Kwok (two violinists, a violist, and a bassist), were featured front and center in Por Una Cabez. What talents they proved to be, with the added bonus of all being personality-plus – they may be stars of the future, so keep your eyes and ears open! The fourth movement Fugue finale from Ernest Bloch’s Concerto Grosso No. 1 was scintillating. It was this listener’s favorite on a program that had much that was excellent. The audience gave them an extended standing ovation. This was one of the finest high school string orchestras that this reviewer can recall hearing in sometime.
An encore of the Temptations’ classic song My Girl had the audience clapping along in rhythm and was a joyful end to this well-presented evening of music. Congratulations to all!
