This past week, the University of Denver’s Lamont Wind Ensemble brought listeners on a journey around the globe with their most recent performance of “Dances of the World.” This performance, led by a guest conductor, Jeremy Van Holy, blended notes from different cultures, time periods and themes allowing for a radiant blend of music.
The Lamont School of Music holds concerts almost every week, showcasing different parts of the music department. Guest artists, faculty and students are featured in different forms of concerts that are free to all DU students.
The Wind Ensemble put on a lively performance focusing on dance music from different cultures allowing the audience to imagine the steps as they listened.
The band started out by playing Guy Woolfenden’s “Illyrian Dances” from the 1980s, inspired by Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” This piece transported listeners to a whimsical land with bright sounds from the clarinet and bursts of brass sounds to give the ensemble a lighter and more buoyant dance song.
The ensemble then took us a little further back in time with Bartok’s “Romanian Folk Dances” with more flute and fiddle sounds to match the swirly fun swing dances. The ensemble brought a more exotic and lively sound to this piece, resembling the bustling of a rich village life.
Staying within this time period, the band followed with Gordon Jacob’s “William Byrd Suite” reimagining the Renaissance period with music for a wind ensemble. Jacob’s work brought out a colorful sound within the band using woodwinds and percussion to go along with a more formal dance. The animation of hard brass sounds mixed with the melodic woodwind section represented the turns and grace that occur during the dance.
As we travelled from place to place through the music, we also learned about the different time periods in which they were created.
Throwing in a contemporary sound, the band then played Adam Gorb’s “Awayday” capturing the high energy of jazz clubs and busy city streets. The trumpets and trombones took the lead in this piece and were backed by a drum kit with strong rhythm with the wind instruments giving the sound a jazzier feel.
While this is not traditionally a dance piece, it has a choreographed feel to it that celebrates the modern bustle of city life.
To cap off the night, the band played an assortment of Van Holy’s “Dola Re Dola,” a Bollywood hit that fuses together classic South Asian dance with western orchestra rhythm. This final piece brought the evening to an end with a blend of cultural diversity through the powerful sounds of percussion, brass and woodwinds.
“I had never been to a Lamont concert before this and I am so glad I got to hear all of the talent that DU has,” said DU student Celia Laufersky. “The wind ensemble was really colorful and fun and I loved the variety in dance music.”
This performance was not only educational but also engaging. It was a great way to listen to captivating music and enjoy the talent here at DU.
