Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022
8 p.m.
The Ohio State University School of Music
Weigel Auditorium
"If Music be the Food of Love..."
WIND SYMPHONY
Russel C. Mikkelson, conductor
Dustin Ferguson, guest conductor
Josh Reynolds, guest conductor
Faculty Guest Soloists
Ted Clark, trumpet
Bruce Henniss, horn
Sterling Tanner, trombone
PROGRAM
Rivers of Air
Jake Runestad (b. 1986)
Dustin Ferguson, guest conductor
Riften Wed
Julie Giroux (b. 1961)
Josh Reynolds, guest conductor
Shining Pathways, Moving Mountains
Vince Mendoza (b. 1961)
Ted Clark, trumpet
Bruce Henniss, horn
Sterling Tanner, trombone
— INTERMISSION —
Symphony No. 3, Op. 89 “The Tragic”
James Barnes (b. 1949)
I. Lento
II. Scherzo
III. Mesto (for Natalie)
IV. Finale
NOTES
Rivers of Air — Jake Runestad
How infinitely superior to our physical senses are those of the mind! The spiritual eye sees not only rivers of water but of air... imagination gives us the sweet music of tiniest insect wings, enables us to hear, all round the world, the vibration of every needle, the waving of every bole and branch, the sound of stars in circulation like particles in the blood. Indeed, the power of imagination makes us infinite. — John Muir
As a composer, I often imagine the soundtrack to my surroundings -- especially while hiking in the beauty of mountains, forests, lakes and rivers. The crisp whisper of wind through pine needles, the babbling of a glacial river and the stoic quietness of old growth trees exude vivid aural colors, always available to the curious listener. But it is the mind’s ear that can take these sounds and scenes and imagine them into stories and symphonies.
In Rivers of Air, I endeavored to capture the scenery and experience of hiking in Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington while creating my own imagined story. Visions of expansive mountain ranges from thousands of feet in the air, the rushing Nisqually River and the profound sacredness of old growth trees guided me as I wrote. In an age when humans seem to be continuously separating ourselves from the earth and from each other, Muir’s words remind us to listen deeply to all that is around us; and in that listening, we too can see (and hear) our own rivers of air.
But this piece is much more than just a soundscape -- it is a call for us to listen and preserve. In an age when humans are continuously separating ourselves from the Earth and from each other, Muir’s words (and actions) remind us to listen deeply to all that is around us. We are of the Earth, not separate from it -- we must treat it with care, conserve it, protect it. We must remember that the earth was not created for humans to consume -- it is our home and a beautiful balance of life in which all things are valid and important. Destroying our natural resources is detrimental to the health of the earth and will affect life for generations to come. Too many people have a greedy, destructive mindset with immediate gratification in mind. We must be more forward-thinking, we must be more protective of what is around us.
— Note by the composer
Riften Wed — Julie Giroux
Riften is a city in Skyrim located in the expansive world of Elder Scrolls, the fifth installment of an action role-playing video game saga developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. Skyrim is an open world game that by any video game standard is geographically massive and more closely related to an online mmorpg (massive multiplayer online role-playing game) than to its console and PC competition.
Skyrim is a beautiful world, from mountainous snowy regions to open tundra plains, sea coasts, beaches, thick woods, lakes and hot spring-fed swamps. Large cities, villages, forts, ancient ruins, caves, lone houses, sawmills and abandoned shacks dot the atlas. One can spend hours just walking or riding horseback from one side of the continent to the other doing nothing but experiencing its wondrous environment and lore. It is truly a game worthy of total immersion. Oh, and I should mention that it is also a deadly world, torn apart by civil war and dragons who have resurfaced after thousands of years, not to mention the cult of vampires that are also threatening to take over the world.
Riften is a seedy, crime-filled and nearly lawless city. Located on a waterfront with skooma-addicted dock workers and corrupt guards, it also boasts the headquarters of the Thieves’ Guild. Sadly enough, it is also the location for the world's orphanage and the Temple of Mara, the place where the good citizens of Skyrim have to go to get married, you included.
Weddings in Skyrim are about survival as much as fondness or imagined love. Courtship can be as simple a dialogue as “Are you interested in me? Why yes, are you interested in me? Yes. It’s settled then.” Sometimes the dialogue is more along the lines of “You are smart and strong. I would be lucky to have you. I would walk the path of life beside you ‘til the end of time if you will have me.” Although this game feels somewhat like the iron age with magic and dragons, it has a progressive, flourishing society.
In Skyrim, if so desired, your spouse can and will fight beside you. They will die for you or with you. For most of them, that death is permanent. You cannot remarry (not without cheating anyway). What was is over and there will be no other. Being the hopeless romantic that I am, I found the whole situation intriguing and heart wrenching, especially if related or injected into real world circumstances. In one instance while playing the game, I emerged from the chapel with my brand new husband only to have him killed later that evening in a vicious full-on vampire attack right outside the temple. (Hey! No fair! I knew I should have married a warrior and not a merchant. I restarted the game.) Skyrim weddings are happening in the middle of a world full of violence, disease, war and death, something Earth is all too familiar with.
Riften Wed is the music for loves and unions, past and present such as this. A love, a wedding, a lifetime shared by two people in the middle of a storm that threatens to tear them apart. Where “‘til death do us part” is not only a reality, it’s a given. Where love is a gift worthy of all the joy and pain it demands. One life, one love, one ending. This music is for those that are truly Riften Wed.
— Note by the composer
Shining Pathways, Moving Mountains – Vince Mendoza
The experiences and lessons I learned many years ago as a college student were profound. Besides the relationship with my peers, most important to these experiences would have been the role that mentors played in my development as an artist, guiding the decisions I made, encouraging the ideas that I brought into our discussions, and shaping how the collective experiences as a college student affected my path as an artist.
The aim of the composition of Shining Pathways, Moving Mountains is to celebrate the journey of the many young aspiring artists who have gone through this university, their relationships, challenges, dreams and ideas, as well as the relationships with the mentors that helped them to realize their life’s vocation. In this piece you may also find some of the memories that were part of the experience of my student life, excitement, vitality, power, love, and the resulting confidence to climb a few mountains when the challenge arises.
Shining Pathways, Moving Mountains is a multi-movement piece played without pause. The solo “mentor” concertante parts for trumpet, horn and trombone impart their metaphorical wisdom, but at the same time deftly keep up with the ambitious new ideas of the ensemble. I see this as a constant shifting dialog, maintaining that dialog throughout the piece, culminating in a powerful learned message of the “collective.” My compositional language is without boundary, and you may see my continued influences of African music and jazz in the mix.
I am truly grateful for the invitation by The Ohio State University, the Timashev Family and Russel C. Mikkelson to write this piece celebrating the opening of the Timashev Family Music Building, as well as for the confidence and vision instilled in me during my studies at Ohio State.
— Vince Mendoza (Los Angeles, 2022)
Symphony No. 3 — James Barnes
The composer writes:
The Third Symphony was commissioned by the United States Air Force Band in Washington, DC. The conductor of the band at the time, Col. Alan Bonner, told me that he wanted a major work for wind band. He said that he didn't care about style, length, difficulty or anything else; I was given complete freedom to write whatever I wanted to. I began to work on it in earnest at a very difficult time in my life, right after our baby daughter, Natalie, died. This symphony is the most emotionally draining work that I have ever composed. If it were to be given a nickname, I believe that "Tragic" would be appropriate. The work progresses from the deepest darkness of despair all the way to the brightness of fulfillment and joy.
The first movement is a work of much frustration, bitterness, despair and despondency — all my own personal feelings after losing my daughter. The scherzo (second movement) has a sarcasm and bitter sweetness about it, because it has to do with the pomposity and conceit of certain people in the world. The third movement is a fantasia about what my world would have been like if Natalie had lived. It is a farewell to her. The finale (fourth movement) represents a rebirth of spirit, a reconciliation for us all. The second theme of the last movement is based on an old Lutheran children's hymn called I am Jesus' Little Lamb. This hymn was sung at Natalie's funeral. The last stanza of the song reads:
Who so happy as I am
Even now the Shepherd's lamb?
And when my short life is ended,
By His angel host attended,
He shall fold me to His breast,
There within His arms to rest.
Three days after I completed this symphony, on June 25, 1994, our son Billy Barnes was born. If the third movement is for Natalie, then the finale is really for Billy, and our joy in being blessed with him after the tragic death of his sister.
ROSTER
Wind Symphony
PICCOLO
Meagan Gaskill
Katie Sharp
FLUTE
Meagan Gaskill *
Arianna Bendit
Katie Sharp
Sofia Geelhood
Jonathan Mitchell
Lexi Biondo
Allie Gerckens
Braden Stewart
OBOE/ENGLISH HORN
Michael Rueda *
Lauren Kowal
Claire Rottman
BASSOON
Dylan Tharp *
Isaiah Heyman
E-flat CLARINET
Kaleigh McGee
Destiny Malave
CLARINET
Kaleigh McGee *
Jiaqi Liu
Destiny Malave
Louis Maligaya
Maddy Brickner
Danny Hong
Eli Johnson
Rohit Kolluri
Peter Breckenridge
Lily Tropple
BASS CLARINET
Marco Rojas
Katie Lowry
CONTRABASS CLARINET
Jiaqi Liu
ALTO SAXOPHONE
Frankie Wantuch *
Austin Spillman
TENOR SAXOPHONE
Cooper Greenlees
BARITONE SAXOPHONE
Colin Fogerty
HORN
Brittany White *
Brian Walsh
Ben Moloci
Cheng Peng
Abbey Burger
TRUMPET
Luke Bingham *
Julia Moxley
Benjamin Guegold
Vanessa Rivera
Connor McMullen
Matt Pileski
Eric Luman
Hunter DeWitt
TROMBONE
Charlotte Stefani *
Tristan Miller
Alex Myers
BASS TROMBONE
C. J. McGhee
EUPHONIUM
Sean O’Brien *
Gareth Whelan
Davis Aho
TUBA
Bradley Krak *
Jake Blevins
Cameron Reinbolt
PERCUSSION
Sam Sherer *
Ben Kerger
Tres Perkins
Matt Hanson
Kalie Dawson
Justin Monroe
DOUBLE BASS
Jimmy Perera
PIANO
Pufan Wang
HARP
Nathan Hay
* denotes principal
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