Скачать или смотреть Compton Heights Band Holiday Concert at the Sheldon 1997 - Part 2

Compton Heights Concert Band Holiday Pops - Part II
Recorded LIVE Sheldon Concert Hall
December 1997
Posted July 19, 2021


Part II of the Holiday Pops Show at the Sheldon begins with a major concert band composition – “The Symphonic Gershwin”, a masterful arrangement by the late Warren Barker, probably the “best in the business” in his time.

Warren Barker was an American composer, arranger, and conductor known for work in film, radio and television, as well as for original Band and Symphonic compositions. “The Symphonic Gershwin” is a marvelous composition featuring three of his major popular arrangements: “An American In Paris”, “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Cuban Overture”. Barker skillfully put these great, unforgettable Gershwin themes together in this piece.

John Philip Sousa’s “El Capitan March” is one of the perennial Sousa favorites. This march has enjoyed exceptional popularity with bands since it first appeared. It was extracted from the most successful of Sousa’s operettas, “El Capitan”.

The remaining Part 2 is an incredible display of Hugh Smith’s spectacular voice at an early stage in his career. The Sheldon audience response was extraordinary with lengthy standing ovations, extended applause, and continuous shouts of “Bravo! Bravo!” after all of the following five pieces in the 2nd part of the tenor solos:

Hugh Smith opens part 2 with “La Danza”. Rossini’s “La Danza” is known as a “patter song”, a comic song depending for its humorous effect on rapid enunciation of the words occurring most commonly in comic operas and operettas. It is among the most recognized forms of traditional southern Italian music.

Following “La Danza” is “And This Is My Beloved” from “Kismet” by Alexander Borodin. Kismet is an original Broadway production first produced on Broadway in 1953 winning the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1954. The play “Kismet” was adapted into the famous musical by Robert Wright and George Forrest with themes from the music of Alexander Borodin. The musical was, in turn, adapted into a 1955 film.

Hugh’s next selection, a favorite gorgeous aria of tenors is from Charles Gounod’s opera “Faust”, “Salut! Demeure chaste et pure”.

Hugh is spectacular in the “Serenade”, added to the movie “Student Prince”, Sigmund Romberg’s original operetta. Hugh won the Mario Lanza International prize with “Serenade” while still a student at the famed Philadelphia Academy of Vocal Arts!

Part 2 ends with the audience’s favorite tenor encore, the aria “Nessun dorma” from Puccinin’s opera “Turandot” which drew seemingly endless loud applause! Be sure to stay tuned for the clever end credits.


Submitted by:
Harry F. Swanger, President/Founder/Bassoonist
Compton Heights Concert Band