I had the privilege of guest conducting a combined band from three schools in the Shimotsuga district at the 30th Tochigi Prefectural High School Music Festival, held at the Utsunomiya City Cultural Hall.
I chose the piece Carnival of Roses by Joseph Olivadoti. It is a well-known masterpiece from the mid-20th century era. I selected this piece based on two main concepts:
- To perform a work that is meaningful when played by a large ensemble, since these students usually perform in smaller bands.
- To choose a piece rarely performed in modern wind band competitions. There are many wonderful works outside of the typical contest repertoire.
It was actually my first time conducting this piece in a concert. Through the process, I clearly understood why it is considered a classic.
- It has an elegant style with a classical atmosphere.
- Written in 1947, when bands likely played outdoors more often, looking at the full score reveals lines that resemble viola or cello parts.
- The development reminds one of an opera overture.
- The harmony and phrasing are pleasantly linked.
- The musical peak arrives just as the colour changes with a secondary dominant.
- The difficulty is suitable for school bands.
- It feels a bit too difficult for junior high beginners by today’s standards.
- The slightly high register of the clarinets also reflects the era.
- However, it was the perfect level for a combined high school band to prepare in just two rehearsals.
Despite having only two rehearsals, we focused on details such as phrasing, agogics, and changing tone colour through breath speed to build the performance.
Our performance was towards the end of the festival, with over 1,000 people in the audience. The students showed truly high concentration, and I am proud that we achieved a very dense performance given the limited conditions.
For the finale, I took a classical approach, adding an unwritten “ancora poco a poco accel. al fine” (accelerate little by little until the end). For the final fermata, I asked for a dramatic crescendo from the timpani and snare drum, imagining an opera atmosphere. As soon as the piece ended, huge applause erupted! I was honestly surprised on the podium, as I didn’t expect the audience to be so enthusiastic at a high school festival. Hahaha
During rehearsals, I shared some history about how wind bands developed through military music and outdoor performances, and their role as “music media” in an era before television and radio. My goal was to give the students a good musical experience, but if it also served as an opportunity to bridge eras, it was a culturally meaningful time.
A masterpiece of the middle 20th century played by current high school students. We were able to finish it in a wonderful way!
My arrangement being performed at the Special Concert
A 30th-anniversary special brass ensemble concert was held during the lunch break. I heard that they performed my arrangement, Gershwin in Brass. The performers were all active musicians! I only found out about this in the afternoon, so I was very disappointed to miss it. However, I am simply happy that they chose to perform my work on such an occasion!
