Written by Kyra Strakes
As the new year continues, the musicians of Columbus are preparing for a new concert cycle. The Schwob School of Music in particular is teeming with life as students begin a new semester. Coming up next week is the Schwob Wind Orchestra's (SWO) first concert of 2025, conducted by Dr. Jamie Nix, the director of Wind Ensemble Activities at Schwob. Their February concert will take place on the 13th in Legacy Hall and will consist of five pieces: Pas Redoublé by Camille Saint-Saëns, Slavonic Dances by Antonín Dvořák, The Wild One! by Brian Balmages, Elegy for Albioni by Shelley Hanson, and Polka and Fugue by Jaromir Weinberger.
Camille Saint-Saëns was a renowned 19th-century composer and organist. He originally wrote Pas Redoublé (op. 86) in 1887 for piano with 4 hands, and it was later arranged for concert band by Arthur Frackenpohl in 1972. The title refers to a style of military marching, the “quick-step,” which was faster than an ordinary march. Pas Redoublé captures this style perfectly, and this arrangement’s smart orchestration and addition of percussion enhance what was already a thrilling piece. Frackenpol dedicated this arrangement to Harry Phillips, conductor of the Crane Wind Ensemble at SUNY at Potsdam.
Another piece originally written for piano with four hands, Antonín Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances is one of his best-known works. After receiving encouragement from his publisher, Dvořák composed this piece and arranged it for orchestra, and both achieved instant popularity. Dvořák took inspiration from Johannes Brahms’ famous Hungarian Dances, though, unlike Brahms, he created the melodies himself instead of using traditional Slavic ones. This arrangement, transcribed by James Curnow in 1984, preserves the character of the original piece while adapting it to the voice of the wind orchestra.
The second march on the program, The Wild One! is a fast-paced and exciting circus march composed by Brian Balmages. This piece was commissioned by Wilde Lake High School in Maryland to commemorate the retirement of their beloved band director, Lewis Dutrow. At the time of his retirement, Dutrow had served as band director at WLHS for 38 years. His love of marches was well-known, as he consistently included them in his concerts. The Wild One! pays homage to the style of classic marches, particularly those written by John Phillip Sousa, and includes references that audience members will recognize.
Elegy for Albinoni is another commemorative piece. Shelley Hanson composed it in memory of Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751), a Baroque composer who, although rarely performed now, was well-regarded in his day. First written for string orchestra in 2008 and later arranged for wind band in 2011, Elegy uses one of Albinoni’s own violin sonatas as the basis for its beautiful melodies. Where the other pieces of the program demonstrate the SWO’s technical prowess, this piece demonstrates its lyrical abilities and capacity for emotion.
The final piece of the concert will be the Polka and Fugue from Jaromir Weinberger’s 1927 opera Schwanda the Bagpiper. The opera draws from a Czech play and tells the story of Schwanda, a skilled bagpiper, his wife Dorota, and a robber named Babinsky, who leads Schwanda along many misadventures. The titular polka and fugue come, respectively, when Schwanda plays his bagpipes for the Queen and when Babinsky rescues him from the devil. While it was immensely popular in its day, Schwanda has faded into relative obscurity and is now seldom performed in full. This concert piece, Polka and Fugue, overshadows the opera from which it originates.
All concerts hosted by the Schwob School of Music are free to attend and open to the public. Come out on February 13th at 7:30 P.M. to support the Schwob School of Music and enjoy a beautiful concert!
*This content is presented in collaboration with Columbus State University Schwob School of Music's Public Musicology Program.
Special thanks to Dr. Reba Wissner for allowing her students to contribute to The Columbusite this year.