Vibrant rhythms and heartfelt melodies swept through the concert hall last night as Fresno State’s symphonic band played through the “Sol y Sombra” program, which captivated the audience by celebrating the highs and lows of music and life.
Under newly-appointed director Cody Forcier, the group played five pieces for their “Sol y Sombra” program.
“A lot of our music tonight was either loud and boisterous and happy and then also maybe somber, quiet, peaceful and reflective,” Forcier said.
The program was dedicated to Forcier’s mother and stepfather, who passed away over the summer, and to anyone who has experienced loss or overcome adversity.
To kick off the night, “Alegria,” written by Carol Brittin Chambers, was performed. The word alegria means joy, and that lighthearted fun is heard through the tambourine in the piece.
A variety of emotions are felt in the different time signatures and multiple tempos, all maintaining the high energy and references to Latin music.
With a tam-tam at the start, the trumpets and low brass contributed to the fanfare feel; the piece had lots of grooves. The woodwinds added a circus-like quality to the music near the middle of the piece, which faded into more brass and percussion.
In this piece alone, there was a variety of percussion, from maracas to castanets, that fortified the Latin-inspired sections.
The second piece was written by Gary P. Gilroy, who retired from Fresno State last spring. Titled “Steven’s Song,” this piece was written to commemorate Steven Wolkoff, a musician who was killed by a drunken driver in 2008.
Gilroy’s composition was a beautiful ballad that used simple harmonies and metal percussion instruments to capture the quiet warmth of Wolkoff.
The piano was accompanied by the triangle, crotales and vibraphone that created a quiet lullaby opening. Wind chimes, chimes and bells did the same. Choirs of brass and woodwinds gave the piece a dreamy feel while simultaneously adding strength to the music.
This piece was Forcier’s favorite.
“Having a lot of percussion, usually that would be very loud and fast, but this actually was very peaceful and had a ton of metallic instruments. Almost like what you would hear like a lullaby, like in a crib or a mobile,” Forcier said.
Graduate conducting student Corey Reynolds directed the third piece by Michael Oare titled “Equilibrium.”
With a loud driving pulse of the chimes and bells at the start, the piece had a tension between both the rhythm and the harmony. There are time signature shifts as well, moving from a triple meter section to a middle part in 4/4 time, then back to the triple meter.
The percussion had an active rhythm, while the winds held out longer, more static harmonies in the piece. The clarinets had some harmonic clusters that added to the tension and also drove the music forward. The intensity returned and balanced out the piece in the end.
The fourth piece was “Sheltering Sky,” written by John Mackey. Lots of Mackey’s pieces are percussion-centric and boisterous. This piece, however, was the exact opposite. It was an introverted, more delicate piece that shows simple expressive music making.
Quiet marimba rolls started the piece, with the winds and brass joining in long, soft notes that created a gentle atmosphere. There were colorful harmonies and a constant flowing musical structure.
It was ethereal and almost wistful. A solo oboe moved through the entire performance in a tone that received a hopeful response from a solo trumpet. There was a buildup that grew until it eventually dissipated into a return to the calm beginning before concluding.
The final piece of the night was “Sol y Sombra: Spanish March” by George Gates. In English, the phrase means sun and shade, and refers to tickets being sold in the sun or shady sides of a Spanish bullfighting arena.
“Being that our community has lots of Latin influence, I wanted to make sure that I programmed a piece that had some Latin flavor, but also it’s a nice piece because it represents contrasts, sun and shade,” Forcier said.
The piece represented sorrow and happiness, and the contrast in life and music. There was an upbeat Spanish marching feel with prominent percussion instruments like the snare drum and cymbals. Dynamic contrast from soft to loud strengthened the excitement and intensity overall.
The brass fanfares alluded to the bullfighting arena experience that gives high energy and drama to the story. There are also hints of a sort of Spanish dance through the softer lines that are the “shadow.” Eventually, the “sun” and “shadow” parts mend together into one march.
In this piece, there was a brief trumpet solo played by Fabian Dominguez and a euphonium solo played by Justin Lopez.
Forcier said the group has a lot of energy, and he is working to do more music that is expressive, whether that is a slower tempo or something that errs more on the challenging side.
Fresno State’s next large concert will be the Band Spectacular held on Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free for Fresno State students who show their student ID.
This story was updated on Oct. 23. with more information, provided by Cody Forcier.
