Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, TEXAS - The SFA Wind Ensemble will present a concert titled "Politics and Power" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 29, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus.
"These pieces of music represent the struggle of man versus political power," said Fred J. Allen, director of bands.
Featured piece in the concert is "Music for Prague 1968" by Karel Husa. A native of the former Czechoslovakia, Husa was living in New York when he heard news of the Soviet invasion of Prague. His composition uses techniques that were considered avant-garde in 1968 to depict the horror of a country overrun by communism.
Allen will also conduct "Jericho Rhapsody" by American composer Morton Gould.
"The biblical account of the battle of Jericho serves as the story line for this piece," Allen said. "Listeners will hear the trumpets calling out to one another to bring down the walls of the fortified city."
Rounding out the concert is a piece by Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich, "Festive Overture," as well as "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Aaron Copland and "Battle of Shiloh March" by C.L. Barnhouse.
"Musicians have often been at odds with society," Allen said. "They have always given us music that depicts war but also somehow preserves a glimmer of hope for the future."
The concert is a presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music and is a featured performance of the Concert Series.
Tickets are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $2 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.