The Daily Campus

Issue date: 2/27/09 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Matt Lin The UConn Wind Ensemble performs at von der Mehden Recital Hall on Thursday. The performance included works by Dzubay and Holst.

UConn's best wind instrumentalists deftly entertained their audience last night at von der Mehden Recital Hall. The group started off with a piece called "Anahita," whose inspiration comes from a mural depicting the goddess of night, Anahita. The piece includes three movements, each depicting a different part of the mural.

The first movement, "The Flight of Night," displayed a very tremulous, dramatic melody with prominent drum beats and an accelerated fanfare-like sound. According to the program, this part represents the goddess's "terrifying beauty" as she runs away from the daylight.

The second movement is called "Night Mares;" it had an impressive, majestic sound filled with sharp beats and melodies, probably to represent the power of the horses, or mares. The last movement, called "Sleep and Repose/The Coming of Light," had a much softer, smoother, and melodious sound.

The ensemble continued their concert with "Shadow Dance" by David Dzubay.

This piece contained many active, quick-paced sequences. The piece also has up-tempo rhythms that were chant-like and seemed to shadow one another's sounds. The "dance" is unpredictable, as one can see in the changing of the rhythms ranging from peaceful and celebratory to anxious and raucous.

"'Shadow Dance' was not what I expected. It was really different and the whole piece was really complex," said Meagan Cairns, a 2nd-semester music education major.

Following intermission, the band began again with "First Suite in E Minor" by Gustav Holst, one of the most commonly played pieces in concert band.

It follows a very traditional March Band and Intermezzo style and the entire piece is very cohesive throughout its length. It has three parts: Chaconne, Intermezzo and March. The piece was very euphoric and yet military-like in sound. It had a mix of softer tones in the middle Intermezzo but regained its more jubilant beats in the last section.

"It was pretty complex, and pretty much what I expected," said Kevin Closter, a 4th-semester chemistry major, who added that the piece was his favorite. "I like the melody of it and the march effect."

The wind ensemble's last piece was Hammersmith, Prelude and Scherzo, also by Gustav Holst. The piece began very slow, calm and peaceful. It evoked a more melancholy and serene sound than the previous numbers. The mood of Hammersmith is very quiet and unhurried; it is, according to the program, representative of a flowing river that Holst passed on his walks in Hammersmith. The tempo increased at the very end to create a more dramatic end to an otherwise uncomplicated range of notes.

The wind ensemble certainly provided plenty of musical entertainment that was both exciting and educational. The mix of the soft flutes and the hearty trumpets created a full, uplifting sound that everyone enjoyed.

"It made for a very nice evening filled with great music," said Bobby Vesely, a 6th-semester biology major.

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