ITG 2001 Conference - Sonus Brass

Galliard Battaglia, by Samuel Scheidt, arranged by Philip Jones, began the concert. The group performed standing, and there was a great deal of call-and-response dialogue between Cox and Tunnell. This dance-like tune was played in an aggressive manner. The performance was warmly received. Next, the quintet performed four of the six movements from Giles Farnably’s Fanicies, Toyes, and Dreames, arranged by Elgar Howarth. The first, The Old Spangoletta, was a 3/4 dance with modal inflections. Tunnell started the next, His Rest, with a lyrical solo, which various members of the group took turns embellishing. The final movement, A Toye, had a lot of rhythmic repetition and made use of antiphonal devices. Debussy’s Girl with the Flaxen Hair, arranged by David Sabourin, followed. For this piece, Tunnell played flugelhorn, while the group accompanied in a full, rich fashion. The first half concluded with Brass Quintet, Op. 65, by Jan Koetsier. Koetsier does not make use of many of the harmonic innovations of the 20th century, preferring to focus more on rhythmic devices. The piece is in three movements, with the first starting with a pastoral Andante followed by an Allegro in which Borden played a syncopated melody accompanied by equally syncopated lines in the rest of the quintet. The second movement started out as a trio (two trumpets and trombone) reminiscent of a hymn. A less lyrical, more strictly measured, passage followed, before concluding with the return of the hymn-like idea. The third movement, written in 6/8, was driving and percussive, with many triplet passages passed around the group.

The second half began with Scherzo by the organist/composer Charles-Marie Widor, arranged by William Rhoads. Cox played this piece on E-flat trumpet. The horn (Heim) started this work with a solo, and the group entered in a staggered fugal fashion. The next piece was by a composer at the University of Louisville, Steve Rouse. The piece, titled Quicksilver, began slowly, with wide intervals in the theme. A quicker section followed that showed the influence of Steve Reich’s “Phase” pieces. The composition had many minimalistic effects. One of the more interesting devices was a series of falling suspensions between Cox and Tunnell that generated perpetual major and minor-seconds before resolving. The quintet displayed its versatility in the next selection, Sonata “Saint Mark” by Tomaso Albinoni, arranged for quintet by David Hickman. The four-movement sonata displayed the group’s tonal beauty, with Cox again performing on E-flat trumpet. The players’ ornaments and phrases were well-executed and historically appropriate. Sonus Brass ended their recital with Variations on the Rag, by Stan Friedman. Friedman’s sense of humor was very much evident throughout this piece. It started out with a slow, standard, rag-time tune. The group then rushed into a double-time section, in a reckless, but fun manner! Tunnell sparkled in this tune on piccolo-trumpet. Borden supplied ripping glissandos and “blats” that reminded those present of their school days. The audience demanded an encore, and Sonus Brass complied with another Friedman piece, Gypsy, from Four Freilach of the Art of Klezmer. Think of all the character and zest of klezmer music: fast tempos, flying rhythms, and a general sense of uninhibited fun, and that sums up this piece. The encore brought the program to a satisfying conclusion that was a joy to hear.