ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, September 13, 1996 TAG: 9609130119
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: SETH WILLIAMSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES
This weekend, Mark Camphouse intends once again to show concertgoers that the wind section can do just fine without the strings, thank you.
The New River Chamber Winds will launch the new season with its fifth annual concert. This year, the group has more players than ever - nearly 30 musicians on stage for one piece. And there are more concerts than ever: at 8 tonight in Radford University's Preston Hall, at 8 Saturday night in Virginia Tech's Squires Recital Salon, and at 3 Sunday in Squires.
You remember the winds from high school. The trumpets in the band who could peel paint from the auditorium ceiling during student assembly, the nasal oboes and bassoons, the mellow french horns and clarinets, the raucous trombones and the high-voiced flutes. Although composers have written for winds alone since the beginning of European fine-arts music, "classical" music in the 20th century for most people has meant the full symphony orchestra.
"There is a wealth of excellent literature written for winds that is simply not performed as widely as orchestra works and string chamber works, and there's a great wealth of talented people in this area who play wind, brass and percussion instruments," said Camphouse, who is a professor of music and director of bands at Radford University.
In recent years, Camphouse has emerged as a major figure in the ongoing revitalization of symphonic wind music in America and around the world, with many compact disc recordings of his own compositions now available, a stack of commissions waiting to be written, and recent premieres of his works by major American, Russian and English ensembles in prestigious venues such as St.Paul's Cathedral and the Royal Albert Hall in London. However, with the exception of one short fanfare, he has not yet scheduled one of his own pieces for these early season concerts.
New River Chamber Winds consists of the cream of the area's wind players, many of whom are faculty members at Western Virginia colleges and universities and also principal performers with the Roanoke Symphony and other symphonies.
Star players include David Jacobsen and Betsy Crone on flute, Margo Easter and Libby Watts on oboe, Dave Widder on clarinet, John Husser and Barbara Duke on bassoon, Wally Easter on horn, Allen Bachelder on trumpet, Jay Crone, Jim Sochinski and Ellen Hannan on trombone, and non-wind players John Floyd and Al Wojtera on percussion, Caryl Conger on piano and Sanghee Uhm on
harp.
Camphouse is most excited about doing Alan Hovhaness' Symphony No.4, possibly the most ambitious work Chamber Winds has ever attempted. It will fill the entire second half of the concert, and will require 28 players on stage at once. In the Squires Recital Hall performances, the brass section will perform antiphonally during the work, with some players stationed in the balcony area and some on stage.
"It's a wonderful and not very frequently played work," Camphouse said. "Stylistically, he's got three or four things simultaneously going on. There's his affinity for Asian colors, and then there's his affinity for late Renaissance and early Baroque counterpoint."
Camphouse, who has conducted the work once previously in Taos, N.M., has been unable to find any musician in the area who has ever played it.
Though the Symphony No.4 may not be heard often, Hovhaness' music in general has undergone a major revival in the past 15 years. His flair for lyrical, oriental-sounding melody lines coupled with a penchant for lush harmonies has made him a favorite among New Age music fans, and with works such as "Mysterious Mountain" and the "Mount St. Helens" symphony he has
introduced many formerly skeptical listeners to 20th century music.
Opening the concert will be the "Earle of Oxford's March" by William Byrd, which will be followed by Franz Schubert's song "Auf dem Strom," or "By the River," which features soprano Libby Curtis, hornist Easter and pianist Conger. After the Schubert, Radford guitarist Robert Trent and Tech flutist Jacobsen will perform selections from Robert Beaser's Appalachian-inspired "Mountain Songs." Ending the first half of the concert will be an early work, the Op.7 "Serenade for Winds" by Richard Strauss, the last great composer of the Romantic era.
Camphouse doesn't rule out scheduling one of his own pieces in future Chamber Winds concerts. He has carved out for himself a reputation as the only "socially conscious" wind composer working today, with a string of works inspired by social issues. His frequently recorded "A Movement for Rosa" is a tribute to civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks. "Watchman, Telleth of the Night," not yet finished but already scheduled for European performances and two recordings next year, is a musical treatment of the issue of child abuse. He is also working on a piece for soprano and chamber winds inspired by the life of Helen Keller.
Seats remain for all performance. Tickets for tonight's Radford University show cost $3. Call 831-5177 for more information. Tickets for the Virginia Tech performances cost $10 for the general public and $7 for students and senior citizens. Call 231-5615 for more information.
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Alan Kim. The New River Chamber Winds rehearse at theby CNBRecital Salon at Virginia Tech on Tuesday evening under the
direction of Mark Camphouse. color.