2008 Woodie Awards
Classical meets video
Grant Turner
Issue date: 5/9/08 Section: Entertainment
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One of the songs the band featured was "An American Elegy." This song was composed in 2000 in memory of the Columbine shootings in 1999. The song was first played by the Columbine High School Band in 2000 in remembrance of the shootings and all of the students whose lives were taken.
"My favorite song was 'Where Never Lark or Eagle Fly.' It was fun because it had some fast technical kind of stuff in it as well as beautiful phrases in the slow middle section," senior Sara Schuhardt said.
One of the most memorable songs, "Sing My Tongue, Alleluia," allowed the concert band members to not only feature their instrument playing but also their singing. At the beginning and the end of the song, members of the concert band sang "Alleluia" in varying pitches and then the band joined in using the same pitches that the singers had used.
The second half of the concert opened with "Flag of Victory," a light-hearted German march composed by Franz von Blon during the early 20th century. The piece featured strong rhythms from the snare drum while a pounding bass drum kept the beat and the woodwinds trilled over top. The song created an image of a parade traveling down the busy streets of Berlin.
"Cajun Folksongs" musically told ancient fables of the Arcadian people. Traditional Cajun music has become Americanized throughout the years and composer Frank Ticheli uses the stories of "La Belle et le Capitaine" and "Belle" as inspiration for his pieces. The first movement follows the life of a woman who kills herself to keep from being seduced by a captain. The second movement is the sad story of a man who travels to Texas only to find out that his lover back in Louisiana is ill. Despite his efforts and return, she dies. The narratives of these songs are strong, and literary emphasis can be heard throughout the music.
This piece was followed by the featured suite Video Games Live - Part 1 arranged by Ralph Ford. The video game music included themes from Halo, Civilization IV and Kingdom Hearts. The somewhat epic music from video games is not often acknowledged in traditional concert venues and performances. The BVU Concert Band gave the audience members of an older generation a new appreciation for game music while exciting interest in the younger members who recognized the tunes from their favorites
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It is hard to choose a favorite song. Video Games Live because everyone got so into it, but also 'Cajun Folksongs' was fun," first-year Katie Lally said. "'Where Never Lark or Eagle Fly' was pretty, 'An American Elegy' was powerful and in 'Flag of Victory' I got to play first trumpet and that made a good song even better!"
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