Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The Stone Fort Wind Quintet at Stephen F. Austin State University will present a recital of programmatic works featuring a varied collection of musical depictions when the faculty ensemble performs at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 24, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.
In honor of composer and performer Peter Schickele, also known through his bizarre alter ego as P.D.Q. Bach, who passed away this year, the first half of the program will consist of his “A Year in the Catskills.” The quintet will present musical depictions of the four seasons with the last movement a finale in the form of a peppy blues tune. In the program notes, Schickele writes, “Although I played the clarinet as a boy, and the bassoon as a young man, I never played in a woodwind quintet, and I never wrote for that combination until I was in my 70s, when a commission from Vanderbilt University came my way.”
In the second half, the quintet will “raise a glass” to toast Schickele with a performance of “Beer Music-Flight Three” by Brian DuFord, explains Dr. Christopher Ayer, professor of clarinet in the SFA School of Music and quintet member. DuFord is a composer-guitarist whose works have been performed by the Imani Winds and Borealis Wind Quintet, among others.
“In ‘Beer Music-Flight Three,’ there are six movements that depict a ‘tasting flight’ of different beers,” said Ayer. “The program includes ‘tasting notes’ for each beer, and the six movements are charming and witty musical characterizations of each.”
The concert will conclude with the well-known standard for wind quintet, “Three Shanties” by Malcolm Arnold. The text of each sea shanty is included in the program, and listeners will hear the depiction of the text passed around throughout the instruments, sometimes just in parts, and sometimes as a complete melody.
“We hope everyone will enjoy this quirky and fun rendition for wind quintet,” Ayer said.
Extensive program notes provided by the composers will describe each piece in detail.
Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, visit the SFA Fine Arts Box Office website or call (936) 468-6407. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602. Cole Concert Hall in located in Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.