The Mat-Su Concert Band Presents “Let the Bells Ring”
Contributed by Sara Bowen
Come listen to this December concert where familiar holiday themes are transformed.
With director Gleo Huyck at the helm, this holiday program features a variety of music. Many of the selections will ring with familiarity, sometimes obvious with gallant fanfares, at other times hidden in dark whimsy.
The “Let the Bells Ring” concerts take place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday Dec. 16 and 4 p.m. Sunday Dec. 17 at the Glenn Massay Theater at Mat-Su College. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $5 for students. Children under 5 get in free. Tickets can be purchased online at www.matsuconcertband.org.
Our titular piece, “Let the Bells Ring”, is a moody and energetic arrangement of the Ukrainian Bell Carol by Robert Buckley. The melody drives the song forward at a commanding pace. The percussionists lead a jazzy break mid-song, breaking up the incessant melody. Clever syncopation frequently ends phrases, escalating the tension to the song’s end.
With a fanfare of trumpets begins Claude T. Smith’s Symphonic Prelude on Adeste Fidelis, a stirring rendition of the Latin hymn O Come All Ye Faithful.
Remembering a Friend (Hymn for Colin) by Martyn Hancock is an emotional piece written in memory of Colin Hughes, a leading seaman in the Royal Australian Navy. According to the publisher’s program notes, two songs are referenced in memory of Hughes’ life. First is “The Watermill” by Ronald Binge, which he used to perform regularly as a solo on his oboe. Later the Naval Hymn “Eternal Father” is heard, reflecting Hughes’ naval background.
Fall through a Lewis Carroll-like song with us as we play Minor Alterations: Christmas Through the Looking Glass by David Lovrien. The dark, whimsical piece turns familiar Christmas songs into their minor, nightmare variants in a fast-paced medley.
More spooky sounds abound with selections from Tim Burton’s annually popular animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, scored by Danny Elfman, arranged by Michael Brown.
A concert isn’t complete without two things: a march and Julie Giroux! Victor Herbert’s March of the Toys balances cheery seriousness in this excerpt from the operetta “Babes in Toyland.” In All Through the Night, Julie Giroux pulls out the lullaby timbres in the tender treatment of the melody. Near the end, the band swells to such a volume that everything is silenced but the chiming of the bells. In the final phrase, the band tucks the melody into bed.
Eight Nights of Light by Jonathan Leshnoff is a medley of several traditional Hanukkah and Jewish tunes. From the performance notes by Leshnoff: “This piece is rooted in my childhood days when my family would gather around the menorah and warm the cold winter nights with singing and inspiration.” Sit back and let the warmth of this music charm you.
The band will showcase their vocal talents in Franz Grüber’s Stille Nacht. It may seem simple to sing “Silent Night” with the backing of the clarinets. However, the elongated melodies and strict tuning make this far from an easy task for those of us feeling vulnerable without an instrument at our lips. The song is delicate, with and without instruments, as it gently handles the melody.
The audience will have a turn as well to show their choral prowess and holiday cheer with our traditional Christmas Sing Along as the band plays accompaniment.
The Mat-Su Concert Band got its start in 1984 as the Mat-Su Community Band, formed by Matanuska Music owner Hank Hartman. Other directors have included Neil Long and Phil Munger.
Under the baton of Gleo Huyck, the band is made up of more than 60 musicians and performs a wide-ranging selection of challenging music. Huyck is a retired music educator and private instructor. The band rehearses every Monday night at Teeland Middle School.