No composer impacted the course of Western music like Ludwig van Beethoven. The events of his life are the stuff of Romantic legend, his works permeate concert halls and he remains a cultural icon outside of classical music, turning up in movies, TV soundtracks, commercials and pop songs. After last year’s inaugural festival, Beethoven Awareness Month is back to celebrate Beethoven’s work through concert broadcasts, an all-Beethoven stream, multimedia projects, marathons and other features. -WQXR Continue Reading »

Again, I would like to apologize for the tardiness of this post.  Being absent-minded, I forgot to take a program from the concert, and had to wait for someone to give me a list of the various pieces performed before commencing my review.  I would also like to start off saying that I am part of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, but due to joining the group late in the semester, was not able to perform with them for this concert.  There may be a slightly heavier focus on this group, then, because of my familiarity with the repertoire.

QC String Ensemble

Preludio for String Orchestra ……… Paul Whear
Molly on the Shore ……… Percy Grainger
Bethena, A Concert Waltz ……… Scott Joplin
Concerto Polonis ……… Georg Philipp Telemann

Symphonic Wind Ensemble

Masque ……… W. Francis McBeth
Danse Bacchanale ……… Camille Saint-Saens
Pagan Dances ……… James Barnes
I. Ritual
II. Mystics
III. The Master of the Sword
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (BWV 565) ……… J.S. Bach  Continue Reading »