Danzas De Viento

Eugene Migliaro Corporon, conductor
Robert M. Schwartz, guest conductor**
LSWO Percussion Ensemble, Andrew Eldridge, marimba soloist*
R. Jeronimo Valdez, emcee
Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico^

Program

Star-Spangled Banner, Arr. by John Philip Sousa (1854-1932)
La Procession du Rocío, Joaquín Turina (1882-1949)
Vientos Y Tangos, Michael Gandolfi (b. 1956)
Fiesta del Pacifico, Roger Nixon (1921-2009)
Amparito Roca**, Jaime Texidor (1885-1957)
Leyenda^*^, Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909)
La Fiesta Mexicana^, H. Owen Reed (b. 1910)
Fandango, Frank Perkins (1908-1988)

Program Notes

Written and compiled by David Robinson and Robert Schwartz

La Procession du Rocío (1912)
Joaquín Turina
Arr. by Alfred Reed

During the early part of the twentieth century, nationalism was a popular trend among many composers. The Spanish composers who were drawn to this trend were Manuel de Falla, Isaac Albéniz, Enrique Granados, and Joaquín Turina. In La Procession du Rocío, Turina portrays a festival and procession that takes place in the Triana neighborhood of Seville and honors the Blessed Virgin. In the program notes to the orchestral score, Turina described the festival where “the people dance the soleare and seguidilla. In the midst of the dancing a drunkard sets off firecrackers, adding to the confusion. At the sound of flute and drums which announce the Procession, all dancing ceases.”

The work is divided into two movements, which are performed without pause. The first movement “Triana en Fete” (Festival of Triana) depicts the spirited neighborhood of Triana and is marked by a shift between duple and triple meters. The second movement, “La Procession,” portrays the slow journey through the town of Triana. Turina uses the flute and percussion to lead the procession through town followed by several repetitions of a religious theme. After three repetitions of the flute melody, the piece returns to material from the first movement before ending with a reflective passage.

Vientos Y Tangos (2002)
Michael Gandolfi

Vientos y Tangos (Winds and Tangos) was commissioned by the Frank L. Battisti 70th Birthday Commission Project and is dedicated to Battisti in recognition of his immense contributions to the advancement of concert wind literature.

About the piece, the composer writes:
“It was Mr. Battisti’s specific request that I write a tango for wind ensemble. In preparation for this piece, I devoted several months to the study and transcription of tangos from the early style of Juan D’arienzo and the ‘Tango Nuevo’ style of Astor Piazzolla to the current trend of ‘Disco/Techno Tango,’ among others. After immersing myself in this listening experience, I simply allowed the most salient features of these various tangos to inform the direction of my work. The dynamic contour and various instrumental combinations that I employ in the piece are all inspired by the traditional sounds of the bandoneon, violin, piano, and contrabass.”

Fiesta del Pacifico (1960)
Roger Nixon

Fiesta del Pacifico, dedicated to the San Francisco State College Symphonic Band and its director Edwin Kruth, refers to one of several festivals held annually in various communities throughout California, which celebrate the Old Spanish Days of the state. This particular festival is held in San Diego for twelve days in the summer and features a play on the history of the area, a parade, a rodeo, and street dances.

“Tonal fresco” is the phrase Nixon uses to describe this brief but evocative piece, adding that the concept is: “similar to that of a tone poem, or that of the music drama, in that some of the musical ideas have extra-musical connotations. It is impressionistic in that the aim is to create descriptive impressions rather than to tell a story. The work is a large dance movement, which makes frequent use of Spanish-Mexican idioms.”

In Memoriam: Today’s performance of Fiesta del Pacifico is dedicated in memoriam to the composer, Roger Nixon, who passed away October 13, 2009 at the age of 88. Mr. Nixon was particularly known for his music for concert band, which included a wealth of fanfares, marches and ceremonial works. But he also wrote chamber music, song cycles, and an opera based on the Stephen Crane story “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky.”

Amparito Roca (1935)
Jaime Texidor
Arr. by Aubrey Winter

Amparito Roca is an exciting paso doble. A paso doble is a Spanish dance, interpreted literally as a “two-step,” depicting aspects of the popular bullfighting sport. You will easily be able to visualize the traditional Spanish dancers as you hear this fiery tune. Composed by Jaime Texidor, Amparito Roca is named for a girl who lived in his area. Texidor wrote hundreds of compositions, and he conducted the Baracaldo Municipal band in northern Spain in the 1930’s.

Leyenda (1892)
Isaac Albéniz
Arr. by Gifford Howarth

Albeniz’s prelude, Asturias-Leyenda, was originally composed for piano and later became widely known in its version for guitar, made popular by such great guitarists as Pepe Romero and Andrés Segovia. Leyenda also shares a place as a movement in the composer’s popular Suite española, Op. 47.

La Fiesta Mexicana (1948)
H. Owen Reed

La Fiesta Mexicana, subtitled “A Mexican Folk Song Symphony,” was written by H. Owen Reed during a six-month stay in Mexico on a Guggenheim Fellowship. The work depicts a Christian religious festival dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. During his travels, Reed spent two months in Cuernavaca, a similar period in Chapala, as well as several weeks in Mexico City and Acapulco. The authentic folk material used in the work was found, for the most part, in Chapala, Jalisco, and Guadalajara. Other themes were borrowed from published collections of Gregorian motifs and Aztec dances.

The first movement uses an authentic Aztec tune found in a collection compiled during a Mexican government research project. The second movement makes use of a Gregorian chant preserved in the historic Liber Usualis. This particular example has been intoned frequently in Mass at the Chapala Cathedral. The final movement cites the popular Mariachi song “La Negra.” Additionally, the finale features an ingenious recapitulation during which all themes from previous movements are presented concurrently. La Fiesta Mexicana, the first American symphony for band, has remained an integral part of the wind repertoire for over six decades.

Fandango (1952)
Frank Perkins

Fandango was originally published as a piano solo, although it lends itself well to the band medium. The fandango is a Spanish dance in triple meter originally danced by a couple to the accompaniment of guitar and castanets. It first appeared in Spain in the early 18th century. Perkins’ Fandango has much of the descriptive feeling of the Spanish dance: fire, spirit, and excitement pervade the beginning and ending. A midsection offers quiet contrast to the excitement of the ending of the piece.