Wind Symphony will challenge listeners Saturday
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Wind Symphony will perform “Apotheosis of This Earth,” a massive work by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Karel Husa, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 at the Weidner Center for the Performing Arts.
Written in 1970, “Apotheosis of This Earth” is a three-movement, 30-minute, mostly atonal work that explores the potential destruction of the planet, through its “brutal misuse,” according to Husa. It also expresses the composer’s fervent hope that such tragedy can be averted. The selection is in congruence with the University’s Common Theme “Realizing our Sustainable Future.”
UW-Green Bay Director of Bands Kevin Collins notes that “while the work makes serious demands on the listener, I think many people will find moments of extreme tenderness and impressive power that make this a very moving and unforgettable experience. It’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, but it is an opportunity for us all to stretch our ears and our minds. It is the work of one of our greatest composers of the 20th century, treating a topic he took very seriously.”
On the more traditional side, the group will also perform Gordon Jacob’s “Original Suite.”
The UW-Green Bay Symphonic Band will open the concert with another British-based work, “Three Songs from Sussex,” an arrangement of Pavel Tschesnokoff’s Russian chorale “Salvation is Created,” and Frank Ticheli’s exciting “Vesuvius.”
This is the ninth concert of the 2009-2010 season.
Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students and seniors, and can be purchased through University Ticketing Services at (920) 465-2217 or 1-800-328-8587, or online at www.uwgb.edu/tickets.
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