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MSU Wind Symphony Features Beaser World Premiere, Lorenz Showcase

musicians on stage
MSU College of Music
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MSU
MSU Wind Symphony

Thursday night at 7:30 at the Wharton Center, the MSU Wind Symphony performs a concert of works by 20th and 21st century masters. MSU Professor, Director of Bands, and Conducting Chair Kevin Sedatole presides over the program of music by Percy Grainger, John Adams, Robert Beaser and Ricardo Lorenz. WKAR’s Peter Whorf and Kevin Sedatole started a conversation talking about Robert Beaser’s Double Chorus.

KS: Our concert does feature one world premiere. It’s the wind transcription world premiere. The piece was premiered by the Chicago Symphony back in 1990 or ’91, but it’s only had one performance to my knowledge. I think that’s what Robert Beaser shared with us. But he’s always thought that this piece would be a great wind transcription. Double Chorus would be the premiere of that particular version of it. A lot of city sounds to me – some jazz influence. You’re going to hear a lot of John Adams. You’re going to hear a lot of Aaron Copland.

There are two other very contemporary pieces. John Adams goes on right before – The Chairman Dances – monumental in itself. Really the feature piece on the concert is by Ricardo Lorenz called King Mangoberry (Allegorias de Rey Mangoberry). I think people are going to be very attracted to that music. There are images of things that don’t really go together somehow. King Mangoberry, for instance, is mango and strawberry put together.

PW: Sounds like a smoothie…

KS: In the United States that’s very natural. In Venezuela it’s not. Mangoes is one of their staple products. Strawberries are not. Thinking of putting that together in a smoothie, the Venezuelan people are like, “why would you do that?” And it goes on and on. It’s very imaginative. The orchestration is beautiful. We’re making a whole disc of Ricardo Lorenz’s music this year.

PW: Do you have a guest conductor on the program?

KS: Yes, two of my students. The first is Hunter Kopczynski, and he’ll be conducting the two (Percy) Grainger pieces. Then Branden Steinmetz will be conducting the (John) Adams Chairman Dances. Lots of moving parts on this show.

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