Brass at the Beach took over the Daniel Recital Hall Tuesday night with music performed by the University Brass Ensemble and conducted by Rob Frear.
The brass ensemble consists of trumpets, French horns, trombones, tubas and various percussion instruments. They played five pieces of music, ranging from classical to modern.
The concert started off with Giovanni Gabrieli’s piece, “Canzon Quarti Toni,” which was written for St. Mark’s Cathedral in Venice, Italy. This piece was slow and dramatic, and the horns took center stage.
After the piece, Frear introduced the ensemble and the next piece, “Arbos for Eight Brass and Percussion,” composed by Arvo Part. This piece sounded a bit jumbled. The size of the Daniel Recital Hall did not lend itself to the more powerful parts. The music lingered for too long and caused the following notes to be lost in the resonating sound. The piece was played well, but the acoustics failed the music.
The next piece, titled “The Dandi March,” was preceded with a history lesson given by Frear. He explained that the song was written for a march led by Gandhias thousands of his followers traveled to the costal village of Dandi, to take salt from the sea as a non-violent protest of the British authority.
“The Dandi March” is a two-part piece composed by Dirk Brosse. The first part is titled “The Great Procession,” which was meant to depict the 24-day march to Dandi. It expressed the feelings of urgency and persistence. This piece sounded like the music in opening credits of a 1960s spy film. It was fast and extreme.
The second part, titled “At Dandi,” is a song that depicts triumph and joy. This piece was especially entertaining and surprising. Hand-clapping started it off and in the middle of the piece, some of the musicians put down their instruments and sang to the happy tune. This piece was joyful and still managed to maintain the urgent feeling from the first part.
The next piece was a familiar tune with a twist. “Mini-Variations on Amazing Grace” by Anthony Plog started with “Amazing Grace” and morphed into a new take on the traditional hymn. The song gained speed and transformed in the middle, and reverted to the original tune in the end.
The night was brought to a close with the piece “Reflections on a Dance,” composed by David Sampson. Before the piece began conductor Frear explained that the piece was written for the life experiences and tragedies the composer went through.
“You will hear life, death, tragedy, and mourning. This piece is pretty intense,” Frear said. The music was a rollercoaster ride of loud and soft moments, with a strong percussion presence.
To view upcoming performances by the Brass Ensemble and Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, visit csulb.edu/depts/music/main/calendar.html.
