Modern, New, and Rhapsody in Blue Program

Duet in C Minor (adapted for chamber ensemble)- Ian Deterling

“Roughly a theme and variations, Duet in C Minor manipulates the main melody while juxtaposing it with contrasting counter melodies and foreground. Beginning slow and somber, rhythms and tempo gradually build throughout the piece to an energetic finale.”- Ian Deterling

Originally a favorite among our cellist Jean-Marie and clarinetist Amanda as a duet piece, Mr. Deterling kindly adapted this work into an ensemble-level masterpiece that now all of the band and it’s listeners can enjoy!

“From 2004-2006, I was the project manager of the Planck HFI Ground Segment, an astrophysics mission whose spectacular results have enriched our understanding of the Universe. When in 2012 I decided to interrupt my engineering career to devote myself to composing music, I did not lose interest in astrophysics; I soon decided I would compose music inspired by the Cosmos…”

  • Novae- “The beginning of this piece illustrates atonal themes representing the flow of energy in the emptiness of space.”

  • La fin du temps (The End of Time)- “This piece is a tribute to Olivier Messaien and his Quartet for the End of Time. This piece begins with a slow section based on a melodic cell which is first exposed accompanied by slow chords and fast murmuring scales. The melodic cell is then repeated in different manners, separated by strong interjections: accelerated, altered, and finally accompanied by a fast canon.”

  • Odysseus- “This piece is a homage to the work of European Space Agency’s 2012 International competition. The minimalistic accompaniment represents the emptiness of space, while the main voice alternates between a bold theme representing the exploration of space, and a more melancholic one expressing the emptiness of space and the unknown future of the spacecraft.”

    (all quotes are spoken by Louis Sauter)

Suite Cosmique II- Louis Sauter

Bee Suite- Amanda Dobbs

Written by our own clarinetist, this original work is a homage to Pinesmoke Bee Co’s one-year anniversary and for all they’ve done to support our band. This six-movement piece features a glance into a working honey bee’s very short lifespan, along with an eventful run-in of one of it’s largest natural predators.

  • I. Dawn of a Bee-utiful Day- The piece starts off with a gentle, sweeping first movement representing the sunrise over the land. Scales inspired by the A Key Rav Vast bring very peaceful themes throughout the movement, providing a sense of zen.

  • II. Welcome to the Hive- With tremolos on the strings and a bouncy melody, one can feel completely immersed in the home of such busy insects. The second half of the piece represents a fugue-like response of a worker bee announcing her find of nectar and pollen as the bees all quickly leave the hive to gather.

  • III. Flight of the Foragers- This Shostakovich-inspired movement brings listeners on a thrilling adventure as worker bees search for pollen and nectar in such a vast and busy world. Though short, this movement encapsulates the energy and bravery of a bee navigating in an environment that hosts wonder and possible hostility.

  • IV. Bear Attack!- The intensity of this movement can be heard by the cello’s blues scale and the funky solos that get tossed between clarinet, violin, and piano. Additionally, the percussive aspects in this movement represent the heavy and destructive qualities of the bee’s biggest natural predator breaking apart the bee’s hive. Audience members are invited to contribute to the chaos by following the hand-clapping cues of the instrumentalists during the piano solo.

  • V. Devastation and Rejuvination- After a bear’s attack, a hive can struggle to rebuild the colony back to former glory. This movement represents the loss and uncertainty of a hive’s revival with mystic scales, polyphonics performed by clarinet, and fragmented call-and-response chords.

  • VI. Retiring in Phlox and Forget-Me-Nots- Sometimes when a bee approaches the end of her life, she will find a flower to sleep in so her workmates don’t have to eject her from the hive when she passes. With recalls of the melodic lines in the first and third movements, the suite concludes with an emotional ending and memories of the bee’s life.

Liberation Forsaken- Amanda Dobbs

This is another original work by our clarinetist aimed towards a mourning during Independence Day. Inspired by Danny Elfman’s Serenada Schizophrana, the minor-keyed work features themes from patriotic works America the Beautiful, Grand Ol’ Flag, and Star-Spangled Banner. The lyrics read:

Voice One: If God saw the land that claims glory to He,

Saw the righteous live and praise in ivory

While the vulner’ble lived in houses of sticks

Saw justice fail the poor but win freedom for the rich

If He saw the only thing that made righteous kind at all

Was the hov’ring threat of Satan’s scorching halls

God would turn his head and start to weep

And his love for us would leave

Voice Two: Gerim, Gerim

Yatom, Yatom

Almanah, Almanah

Ahavah, Ahavah (all repeated 3x)

Gerim, Yatom

Almanah, Ahavah

Ra-chem, Yahweh Na

Glenn Miller released what would become one of his best known works In the Mood in 1939, before joining the Air Force in WWII. It has been said that not only has his work been one of the cornerstones of the swing era, but also “a bouncy foxtrot” for all ages to enjoy. Originally belonging to Joe Garland, it was sold to Mr. Miller and rearranged to become the beloved piece it is today.

In the Mood- Glenn Miller*

Besame Mucho- Consuelo Velazquez, arr. Rick Stitzel*

First recorded in 1941, Besame Mucho quickly became an international icon, as well as the only Mexican song to top in America’s charts. Velazquez took inspiration from Goyescas by Enrique Granados for this piece featuring a yearn for romance. Although she had never experienced romance of the kind she sang about at the time, Besame Mucho was one of many romantic songs Velazquez would go on to be famous for writing.

Can’t Take My Eyes Off You- Boys Town Gang*

Bringing a funky rendition to the original version by Frankie Valli’s iconic song, we present a more jazzy rendition. Not only have they become a beloved staple to the 80’s LGBTQ+ community, but also a beloved staple to our band covers due to it’s toe-thumping grooves. Boys Town Gang topped charts in several countries around it’s time and brought freedom, love, and joy in places where love was shamed and chased into the shadows. Our singers Jean-Marie and Donnie brings back this joy in our lively cover.

Creep-Radiohead, arr. Donnie Fontana*

Though Creep brings an air of brooding and edge, we’ve embraced this quality and turned this piece into a jazz ballad. With Jean-Marie and Donnie as the singer, they do a fantastic job embracing the goal of the original singer: to obtain a “not effeminate… but not brutal in arrogance” quality.

One of the most beloved jazz fusion pieces in jazz repertoire, it is directly based from Latin samba. Although better known as an American composer, Mr. Corea decided to reach to his Spanish roots using his jazz experience with Miles Davis later on in his career. Not only does the virtuosic qualities demanded of the musicians that perform this piece bring an intensity and high energy to the audience, the unison chorus brings a feeling of togetherness and community seen in Spanish culture.

Spain- Chick Corea*

Blooming from the failed opera Blue Monday, Paul Whiteman brought Mr. Gershwin to make a jazz concerto that Gershwin was unaware of until looking at an ad in the New York Tribune. In five weeks, Gershwin managed to write one of his most famous and most performed pieces overall in American history. With the illusion of improvisation from the piano, this piece is one of our most technically demanding songs within our repertoire, and is Tight Strings and Bated Breath’s testament to our technical and lyrical prowess.

Rhapsody in Blue- George Gershwin arr. Ioan Dobrinescu

*We do not claim to own the rights to any of these pieces or their covers. All rights go to their original artists of these songs. Any songs without an asterisk and not written by us also own the rights to their works, but were either public domain or were part of a collaboration effort.