Richard Strauss is best known for his work in two major genres: the tone poem and opera. Strauss ably carried both the Wagnerian opera tradition and the Romantic Lisztian tone poem into the twentieth century.Tod und Verkiarung, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Also sprach Zarathustra, Salome and Elektra rank among his most notable compositions and brought Strauss lasting fame during his lifetime and afterward.

Written in 1924, Strauss penned Fanfare für die Wiener Philharmoniker for the Vienna Philharmonic’s first benefit ball, which raised money for the musicians’ pension fund. The piece was originally performed while honored guests arrived at the event, and the work has subsequently been performed every year since at the Philharmonic’s annual ball. This new edition was created by H. Robert Reynolds.

– Program notes by David Balandrin and Ricky Parrell

Martin Luther King, the American pastor and civil-rights activist, was murdered in 1968. His death moved Berio that selfsame year to write a short piece in memorium, its text consisting of King’s name only. (That same year, O King became a movement of [Berio’s] Sinfonia). Berio arranged the movement for the Harvard University Band in 1972.

“Of Our New Day Begun” was written to honor nine beautiful souls who lost their lives to a callous act of hatred and domestic terrorism on the evening of June 17, 2015 while worshipping in their beloved sanctuary, the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (affectionately referred to as “Mother Emanuel”) in Charleston, South Carolina. My greatest challenge in creating this work was walking the line between reverence for the victims and their families, and honoring my strong, bitter feelings towards both the perpetrator and the segments of our society that continue to create people like him. I realized that the most powerful musical expression I could offer incorporated elements from both sides of that line – embracing my pain and anger while being moved by the displays of grace and forgiveness demonstrated by the victims’ families.

Historically, black Americans have, in great number, turned to the church to find refuge and grounding in the most trying of times. Thus, the musical themes and ideas for “Of Our New Day Begun” are rooted in the Black American church tradition. The piece is anchored by James and John Johnson’s time-honored song, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (known endearingly as the “Negro National Anthem”), and peppered with blues harmonies and melodies. Singing, stomping, and clapping are also prominent features of this work, as they have always been a mainstay of black music traditions, and the inclusion of the tambourine in these sections is a direct nod to black worship services.

“Of Our New Day Begun” begins with a unison statement of a melodic cell from “Lift Every Voice….” before suddenly giving way to ghostly, bluesy chords in the horns and bassoons. This section moves to a dolorous and bitter dirge presentation of the anthem in irregularly shifting 12/8 and 6/8 meter, which grows in intensity as it offers fleeting glimmers of hope and relief answered by cries of blues-inspired licks. A maddening, ostinato-driven section representing a frustration and weariness that words cannot, grows into a group singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” fueled by the stomping and clapping reminiscent of the black church.

In the latter half of the piece the music turns hopeful, settling into 9/8 time and modulating up a step during its ascent to a glorious statement of the final lines of “Lift Every Voice….” in 4/4, honoring the powerful display of humanity set forth by the families of the victims. There is a long and emotional decrescendo that lands on a pensive and cathartic gospel-inspired hymnsong. Returning to 9/8 time, the piece comes to rest on a unison F that grows from a very distant hum to a thunderous roar, driven forward by march-like stomping to represent the ceaseless marching of black Americans towards equality.

– Program Note by composer

Written in memory of my father, Flight reflects his delight in aviation as well as some joyous memories I have of him. The first movement, Sailplane, is reminiscent of a sailplane flight we shared as my very first flight. It was a lovely, soaring experience, and I can still envision the colorful farm fields below and the sound of the wind keeping the plane aloft. The second movement, Joyride, was a local flight “lesson” my siblings and I purchased for my dad upon his retirement from teaching. His laughter and excitement in describing the flight still brings a smile to my face. A slower, hymn-like section is included in this movement as both an expression of the wonder of flying as well as a nod to my father’s habit of whistling hymns as he did chores around the house.

– Program Note by composer

I don’t normally like to begin program notes with dictionary definitions—it feels pretty stuffy to me—but it seemed appropriate for this piece, so here goes…

thunk [thuhngk] noun & verb

1. [n.] an abrupt, flat, hollow sound (example: The book landed on the floor with a thunk.); synonym: thud
   2. [v.] to produce an abrupt, flat, hollow sound
   3. [v.] colloquial past tense and past participle of think.

Melodious Thunk was inspired by the famous jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. Monk’s wife, Nellie Smith, nicknamed him “Melodious Thunk” because of his clunky, awkward, and brilliant(!) piano playing, and his, somewhat scatterbrained and disoriented nature. I really liked the idea of playing around with Monk’s name—first, because I personally really enjoy goofing around with “spoonerisms” (silly, ridiculous, mix-and-match letter games, which often happen by accident: for example, slip of the tongue becomes tip of the slung), and, second, because this nickname actually provided great musical inspiration. Melodious—well, that’s fairly obvious—and thunk (which is a great onomatopoeia!) became the starting points for the piece. Big, fat thunks are interspersed with pointy, clunky, bluesy blips, which are then transformed into a long, smooth, laid-back melody accompanied by a funky bass line. I haven’t consciously borrowed any specific tunes or licks from Monk, although I do use a small fragment of Dizzy Gillespie’s tune Salt Peanuts, but I hope you’ll hear some similarities between this piece and Monk’s iconic musical style and quirky attitude.

– Program Note by composer

King wrote this march for the 32-piece Barnum and Bailey Circus Band in 1913 at the request of its director, the noted minstrel show cornetist, Ned Brill. King was 22 at the time and was preparing to join the band as a euphonium player. The euphonium part in this march (and in most of his other marches) shows his love for that instrument — he liked to hear the countermelody part “romping around.” His use of the word “favorite” in the title was a good choice. In a 1980 international Music survey, Barnum and Bailey’s Favorite ranked fourth in the top 140 marches.

– Program Note from Program Notes for Band