Chelmsford Community Band - Spring Concert Eric Linsner - Music Director

Fiat Lux (2021)

Randall D. Standridge (b. 1976)

Fiat Lux. "Let there be light."

In 2019, I was very fortunate to be invited to the University of Akron (Akron, Ohio) to serve as the clinician/composer-in-residence for a conference and honors event they were hosting. During my travels, I meet all kinds of people, and, generally speaking, I get along with them. My hosts for this event were Dr. Galen Karriker and Andrew Freyes. An almost instantaneous friendship was kindled among kindred spirits, and the weekend was a total blast; I was genuinely pained when it was over.

Roughly a month later, Dr. Karriker contacted me and asked if I would be interested in a commission. It did, however, have two caveats; first it should be based around the University of Akron's motto "Fiat Lux (Let there be Light)" and it would have to be done FAST, as he wished it to ready in time for a premiere at an upcoming conference. I accepted the commission and had roughly a week in which to create the work. I tackled the project with the energy and enthusiasm that I felt during my stay in Ohio, and Fiat Lux was born.

Program notes by the composer

Elegy for a Young American (1967)

Ronald Lo Presti (1933-1985)

Elegy for a Young American is a testament to the vision and commitment of our 35th president, as well as a deeply emotional meditation on his tragic passing. The work is often described as moving through the various stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Interestingly, the idea of a codified progression of grief was not put forward until 1969, five years after the premiere, but there is no doubt that the piece travels through many of the emotional states felt by so many Americans in November of 1963. Gentle, homophonic choruses give way to discordant outbursts and massive climaxes as the composer struggles to make sense of Kennedy’s death. Finally, the anguish settles into a peaceful resolution, suggesting that even in the face of tragedy there is some room for acceptance.

Program notes by Kevin Simpson for the U.S. Army Band

Rhapsody for Euphonium and Concert Band (1978/1999)

James Curnow (b. 1943)

Steve Bower - Euphonium Soloist

Originally written by the composer as a teaching piece for his own euphonium students, Rhapsody for Euphonium is dedicated to the memory of the composer's teacherLeonard Falcone. Since its first release in 1978, Rhapsody for Euphonium has gone on to be a very important part of the euphonium literature.

Program notes by the publisher

Noure and Anitra (1896)

Berceuse • Finale

Alexander Ilynsky (1859-1920)

Transcription by Timothy Moore

A Mother of A Revolution! (2019)

Omar Thomas (b. 1984)

This piece is a celebration of the bravery of trans women, and in particular, Marsha "Pay It No Mind" Johnson. Marsha is credited with being one of the instigators of the famous Stonewall uprising of June 28, 1969 - one of the pivotal events of the LGBTQ liberation movement of the 20th century - which is commemorated annually during the worldwide Gay Pride celebrations.

Existing as a trans woman, especially as a trans woman of color, and daring to live authentically, creating space for oneself in a transphobic world is one of the bravest acts I can imagine. Over 20 trans women were murdered in the United States in 2018 alone. There is no demographic more deserving, and frankly, long overdue for highlighted heroism and bravery. The disco vibe in the later half is meant to honor a sacred space held amongst LGBTQ persons - a space to love, live, mourn, heal, strategize, connect, and dance in defiance of those outside forces who would seek to do LGBTQ persons harm simply for daring to exist and take up space.

We pump our fists to honor the life, heroism, activism, and bravery of Marsh P. Johnson, to honor the legacy of the Stonewall revolution, to honor the memory of the trans lives violently ended due to fear and hatred, and in honor of trans women worldwide who continue to exist unapologetically and who demand to be seen.

Program notes by the composer.

Program notes from score

First Suite in E- Flat (1906)

Chaconne • Intermezzo • March

Gustav Holst (1874-1934)

For a work that is such a staple of the concert band repertoire, there is surprisingly little information about the origins of Gustav Holst’s First Suite in E-flat. In the notebook in which he kept a record of his compositions from 1895 until his death, Holst entered the “1st Suite for Military Band Op. 28A” on the page for 1909. Not until 1920 is any record found of a performance, nor is there any mention of the ensemble for which the work was composed. Although its beginnings may have been somewhat inauspicious, the work is a masterpiece of wind writing, sounding as fresh and original today as the day it was written.

The three-movement work begins with the Chaconne in which the melody is introduced by the low brass. The variations build slowly to the majestic finale. The Intermezzo, marked vivace, is lighter and highlights Holst’s skill in writing for woodwinds. In contrast to the Chaconne, this movement ends quietly. The piece ends with the March, a movement in ABA form that weaves together two contrasting melodies as it moves toward a powerful conclusion.

Program Note from U.S. Marine Band

Life Eternal (2022)

Rossano Galante (b. 1967)

I was asked to compose a work in memory of the young musician, Bryson Yang, who was taken from us much too soon. I hoped to capture Bryson's love of music, his enthusiasm for life, and, most importantly, his kind and generous spirit.

The composition is in two parts. The opening features a lyrical, slow-moving melody striving to convey a sense of hope. The secondary them is brisk, light, and passionate; it is meant to capture Bryson's youthful energy. As the piece concludes, the slower opening theme is brought back, now played by solo alto saxophone, as this was his chosen instrument. The composition resolves quietly.

Program notes by the composer

Selections from "Les Miserables" (1980/1987)

At the End of the Day • I Dreamed a Dream • Master of the House • On My Own • Do You Hear the People Sing?

Claude-Michel Schonberg (b. 1944) & Alain Boublil (b. 1941)

Arranged by Warren Barker

Les Misérables is a sung-through musical based on the novel Les Misérables by French poet and novelist Victor Hugo. It has music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, original French lyrics by Alain Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, with an English-language libretto by Herbert Kretzmer. The London production has run continuously since October 1985, the second longest-running musical in the world.

Set in early 19th-century France, Les Misérables is the story of Jean Valjean, a French peasant, and his quest for redemption after serving nineteen years in jail for having stolen a loaf of bread for his sister's starving child. Valjean decides to break his parole and start his life anew after a kindly bishop inspires him by a tremendous act of mercy, but he is relentlessly tracked down by a police inspector named Javert. Along the way, Valjean and a slew of characters are swept into a revolutionary period in France, where a group of young idealists make their last stand at a street barricade.

Program notes from the Wind Repertory Project