Vicki Deken
Arizona Wind Symphony presents Latin Fire at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, 2016 at the Tempe Center for the Arts. The audience will enjoy a range of music with a Latin flare.
A secondary theme could easily be music for the ages, as the 90-member community band celebrates the next generation of musicians. The AWS will welcome to the stage some of the state’s most talented high school musicians as the winners of the sixth annual Small Ensemble Competition.
The competition, funded with help from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, invites high school ensembles from across Arizona to audition for a chance to perform in front of a large audience. The AWS is proud to give these young musicians support and encouragement for their lifelong musical journey.
What: Latin Fire
When: 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 3
Where: Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 West Rio Salado Parkway
Tickets: $9 plus service fees; K-12 students $6; children under 6 years free. Tickets are available at the TCA Box Office or through http://tca.ticketforce.com/.
Musical Selections for Latin Fire:
Fuego del Alma is loosely translated as “fire of the soul.” The composition was written by Carl Strommen, an adjunct professor of composition at Long Island University. The work is centered on Spanish harmonies and rhythms – with a little hand clapping mixed in.
La Procession du Rocio was written by Joaquin Turina, a native of Spain. The music portrays a festival and procession that takes place in the Triana neighborhood of Seville.
Spanish Dance by Russian composer/pianist Dmitri Shostakovich was a dance number originating in the 1956 movie entitled The Gadfly. Gadfly was one of more than 30 soundtracks composed by Shostakovich during the period from 1929 to 1970.
America’s ‘March King’ John Philip Sousa wrote the Spanish dance The Flashing Eyes of Andalusia. The piece has a wide variety of percussion features showcasing castanets and tambourines.
El Camino Real was written by Alfred Reed. The piece is based on traditional chord progressions used by Spanish flamenco guitarists. Reed also penned A Latin Fantasy, a composition built on the dance forms of Jota and Fandango.
Dusk by Stephen Bryant is a soft work depicting the fiery hues of sunset.
About the Arizona Wind Symphony
Now in its 15th season, the Arizona Wind Symphony is under the musical direction of William J. Richardson. It has grown to be a 90-piece concert band comprised of adults whose careers cover a broad range including teaching, health care, music professionals, computer science and many more. The common thread among the band members is to present music of the highest caliber. The group is a Tempe-based non-profit organization, funded in part by the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the City of Tempe. You can find more information at arizonawindsymphony.org. Follow the Arizona Wind Symphony on Facebook by searching for Arizona Wind Symphony.