The West Virginia University Wind Symphony will present a concert, Tuesday Nov. 15, under the direction of Mitchell Arnold, acting director.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Lyell B. Clay Concert Theatre of the Creative Arts Center.

Opening the concert will be a rare performance of “Mars and Venus” from the Suite “Looking Upward” by the great John Philip Sousa. Sousa lovers will enjoy the opportunity to hear one of his extended works—one that includes marches and a gently expressive instrumental aria.

The Wind Symphony will be joined by the University Choir, directed by Jeffry Johnson, for a performance of Aaron Copland’s song of Thanksgiving, “The Promise of Living.”

“Harrison’s Dream,” by Peter Graham, which closes the first half of the concert, “opens with driving rhythms in drums and woodwind,” Arnold said. “The precise pulsations gradually unwind, losing synchronicity, like 18th-century ship clocks. The result, as the world knew, was often disaster.”

British clockmaker John Harrison spent forty years developing a chronometer that could keep exact time on the buffeting waves, thus allowing ships to know exactly where they were on the high seas. His invention not only saved lives, but also guaranteed British dominance of the seas for years to come, not to mention the fact that he claimed an exceedingly large amount of money as a prize.

John Mackey’s “Kingfishers Catch Fire” is a work of startling beauty and energy, Arnold said.

“The calm opening movement, ‘following falls and falls of rain,’ captures the image of this beautifully plumed bird wakening to a new dawn,” he said.

“The second movement literally takes flight as its bright plumage reflects the sunlight, creating the impression of a firebird. Mackey’s instrumentation is brilliant, like the kingfisher’s blazing plumage, and our audience will experience the feeling of soaring on musical wind currents.”

“The Pride of West Virginia” Director Dearl J. Drury will lead the Wind Symphony in a performance of Elliott Del Borgo’s moving “Do Not Go Gentle,” inspired by the famous Dylan Thomas poem.

Assistant Director Christopher Nichter’s direction of “The Red Sombrero” by Ronald Binge completes the evening’s program.

For tickets and information, call the WVU Box Office at 304-293-SHOW (7469).

-WVU-

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4359, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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