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Polished Brass Shines Onstage By JOHN D. ROJAK
The American Brass Quintet's annual concert launches the Daniel Saidenberg Faculty Recital Series this month in the Juilliard Theater. Not that every concert there isn't special, but this year's event has several significant pieces on the program. We are honoring the memory of a recently lost composer, giving two New York premieres, and showcasing a large group of our Juilliard students in collaboration with us.
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| The American Brass Quintet in concert, fall 2002. (Photo by Peter Schaaf) |
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Leading off our program will be a new suite of early music by Thomas Morley, edited by our prolific trumpeter, Ray Mase. This is a collection of wonderful pieces that capture a range of moods and colors. We premiered the suite in Aspen this summer and it is a terrific addition to our already rich Renaissance repertoire. Following Morley will be the Brass Quintet of Meyer Kupferman. Written for the A.B.Q. in 1970, the piece is angular and powerful. It has been somewhat neglected in recent years, due to our wealth of new commissions, but we were compelled to program it this season to memorialize the unfortunate passing of Mr. Kupferman last spring. We present it with respect and honor to his widow.The Urban Brass Quintet will assist us in three works of Giovanni Gabrieli to close the concert. Originally formed for the A.B.Q seminar, the Urban Brass has now been together for three years, and this past summer won the New Horizons Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival. This mentoring program offered them the opportunity to work closely with A.B.Q. members, not only in coaching and chamber music settings, but also in private lessons and orchestral performances. (Of course, there was also a bit of hiking and restaurant mentoring.)In another collaboration with our students, Anthony Plog's Octet will conclude the first half of the concert. Two trumpeters and two trombonists from the A.B.Q. seminar join us for this exciting brass showcase, as our hornist, David Wakefield, steps to the podium to conduct.
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Daniel Saidenberg Faculty Recital Series: American Brass Quintet
Juilliard Theater
Wednesday, Oct. 13, 8 p.m.
Free tickets available at the Juilliard Box Office.
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Rounding out this concert is a new piece we're very pleased to add to our repertoire. Steven Sacco is a former student of our Juilliard faculty colleague, Eric Ewazen. Ewazen has written a number of very successful pieces for us over the past 18 years, so when Sacco expressed interest, we did not hesitate to ask for a quintet. The new piece is titled Quintet for Brass and is in three sections. The middle section is a suite of five short movements, and can be performed on its own. It is surrounded by two beautiful movements, including a rousing mambo that closes this lovely piece.We look forward to seeing everyone in the theater.Trombonist John D. Rojak has been a member of the faculty (and of the American Brass Quintet) since 1991.
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