Bluegreen Orb

Brass Band Northwest opens our season with a program of vibrant and diverse music.

Copland wrote Fanfare for The Common Man to recognize the difficulties that everyday people face during World War II. Commissioned by Eugene Goosens of the Cincinnati Symphony the work has become a cornerstone of the modern classical repertoire.

About Bluegreen Orb, Florence Maunders writes: The music unfolds in radiant textures and iridescent harmonies, a tapestry of light and colour that shimmers like sunlight on water. Expansive melodies drift upward, mirroring the steady ascent of the Earth into view, while luminous surges from the lower brass proclaim its splendour. Yet threaded through the radiance lies a sense of fragility, a reminder that such beauty is precious and impermanent. Both a hymn and a reflection, Bluegreen Orb invites us to look again at our shared home—brilliant, delicate, and suspended in wonder. 

We close our program with The Shepherd by Duke Ellington. He considered his three sacred concerts to be his most important work; The Shepherd premiered on the Second Sacred Concert. The work featured Cootie Williams on a growling trumpet solo, here played by our own Brad Smith.

PROGRAM
Copland – Fanfare for the Common Man (3:00)
Weinstein – Sonatina, Aria & Scherzo (6:00)
Maunders – Bluegreen Orb (6:30)
Rossini – La Gazza Ladra (9:30)

intermission

Cordner – Escape Velocity (6:00)
Taylor – I come in Peace (3:00)
Arnold – Little Suite for Brass (8:00)
Ellington – The Shepherd  (6:15) Jazz Soloist–Brad Smith