Michael Flack and the College of Lake County wind ensemble are taking on the challenge of preparing a piece called “To Tame The Perilous Skies” that was commissioned by the U.S. Air Force Band in 1990.
“It was the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and at the same time the U.S. Air Force was getting ready for invasion into Kuwait and Iraq,” he said.
The piece, which the wind ensemble will perform at its March 5 concert, depicts an air battle, Flack said.
“It starts out quietly, then gets into a fast rhythmic section and doesn’t let up until the end,” he said.
Composer David R. Holsinger used a lot of percussion in the piece, Flack said. “It uses a lot of snare drum imitating machine gun fire and tympani imitating bombs exploding. And there are a lot of fast fiery runs in the woodwinds and a lot of brass fanfare.
“It’s demanding on the players’ chops and it has high trumpet work and the woodwinds don’t get any break, they’re playing runs all the time,” Flack said.
It’s also challenging because the piece lasts for 13 minutes, he said.
Flack chose this piece not to make a political statement, but to give the audience an exciting showy piece to hear and his group of instrumentalists the thrill of performing it. It also showcases his large percussion section, he said.
The piece is part of an eclectic repertoire Flack chooses for each concert – showy pieces, marches, original works for band, orchestral transcriptions and something familiar, for example, a medley of Broadway show tunes.
He often searches for marches beyond those written by John Philip Sousa. The ensemble also will perform “The Gum Suckers March” during the March concert.
“It’s the fourth movement of a suite that Percy Grainger wrote first for orchestra and then translated for band,” Flack said.
A gum sucker is a nickname for Australians who were born in the city of Victoria where eucalyptus trees called gums grow, Flack said. “The shoots of the trees are called suckers, so a native son of Victoria is sometimes referred to as a gum sucker.”
Flack said the march was written to be played with flexible instrumentation, and he’s happy he can offer the audience the full group of instruments Grainger included in the original score.
“It has a prominent piano part and it has a lot of percussion. Grainger called it two full percussion sections,” Flack said. The audience will be hearing not only the snare drums but also a wide range of mallet instruments including marimba, xylophone and glockenspiel.
Rounding out the program is “When Angels Weep,” a flowing melodic piece composed by George Farmer; selections from the hit Broadway musical, “Les Miserables;” and an orchestral transcription of Alexander Borodin’s Finale from Symphony No. 2.
The 50-member wind ensemble is composed of CLC students and community members.
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
Spring Wind Ensemble Concert
When: 4 p.m., March 5
Where: College of Lake County, 19351 Washington St., Grayslake
Tickets: $5-$6 – under age 18 free
Information: 847-543-2300; www.clcillinois.edu/tickets
