Sax and Clarinet Students Perform Well-Loved Classical Themes
The clarinet and saxophone students of Grace Notes Music Studio will perform music by Beethoven, Sibelius, Mozart, Tchaikovsky and others in duos, trios, and quartets on Sunday, November 25, 2007, Copland Chapel, Mt. Tabor Presbyterian Church. Special guests, Clarinetwerk, a Portland clarinet quartet, will perform following the students.
The well-known theme “da, da, da, daahh” from Beethoven’s 5th Symphony has been arranged for a saxophone quartet by Werner Thomas-Mifune. Although not as well-known, Pietr Tchaikovsky’s Opus 54 includes the sweet melody, Old French Song. This will be performed by a clarinet trio.
Jean Sibelius’ Finlandia is a exquisitely soothing hymn to Finland. I found a beautiful clip of this song sung by one of Finland´s leading chamber choirs, Jubilate.
Students will be inviting their families and friends to hear them perform. This is after they have been practicing and learning and improving their musical skills for months. Bonus: Since the recital is Thanksgiving weekend, relatives may be visiting who would not normally be able to hear their cousin/grandchild/uncle play. Yes, uncle! Performers range in age from 10 to 50-something.
Would you like to attend the recital? Send me a note and I’ll put you on the evite list.
January 10th, 2008 at 9:54 am
[...] One of the songs performed in November’s recital was Finlandia, a song composed by Jean Sibelius in homage to his native Finland. It was 1899, the dawn of the twentieth century. Sibelius wrote music for a series of tableaux illustrating episodes in Finland’s past. The patriotic finale, “Finland Awakes” soon came to be in demand as a separate concert piece and Sibelius revised it in 1900, giving it the title “Finlandia”. Listen to the hymn-like section performed by Jubilate Jubilate sings these lyrics, written in 1939 by Finnish poet V.A. Koskenniemi: Finland, behold, thy daylight now is dawning, the threat of night has now been driven away. The skylark calls across the light of morning, the blue of heaven lets it have its way, and now the day the powers of night is scorning: thy daylight dawns, O Finland of ours! Finland, arise, and raise towards the highest thy head now crowned with mighty memory. Finland, arise, for to the world thou criest that thou hast thrown off thy slavery, beneath oppression´s yoke thou never liest. Thy morning´s come, O Finland of ours! [...]