Holiday Brass Inkubator Style with Symphony NH is a performance review and interview by Inkubator student reporter Talia Harmon bringing fresh perspectives and access to outstanding New Hampshire institutions.
On a chilly Thursday evening, December 5th, Symphony New Hampshire held their Holiday Brass performance at The Rex Theater. The show was filled with cheery melodies, bringing the holiday spirit to music lovers from well beyond just Manchester.
Behind the Scenes as Holiday Brass tunes up
As soon as people were ushered to their seats, the audience was filled with excitement and anticipation, ready to be filled with holiday cheer by listening to classic Christmas tunes, yet backstage there was a completely different feel. All of the musicians were tuning up their instruments, warming up, and preparing for this big performance.
The musicians were in deep concentration while practicing, making sure they were ready, and their instruments were in tip-top shape. One could hear the jingling of the tambourine and the soft “ding” of the xylophone. I could also see musicians adjusting their individual lights and staff making sure microphones were running properly.
Also backstage, the sound and view of sheet music shuffling and getting organized was visible to me. Behind the curtains, backstage and hidden from the audiences’ view there was a digital clock which helped the conductor and personnel manager make sure everything ran on time.
Brief Interview with the Executive Director
Before the show began, I had the amazing opportunity to do a brief interview with the Executive Director of Symphony New Hampshire, Deanna Hoying. I asked her what someone should know about this classical music concert at the Rex Theater. She said that she would highly recommend coming to one of the shows because “the ensemble was made up of amazing musicians from all over New England. They are all professionals who also perform with the Boston Pops, the full Symphony New Hampshire, and many other orchestras and symphonies.”
She explained that it is an amazing opportunity to be able to see one of these concerts and it’s nice to be able to show off all of the hard-working musicians. She said that “the Holiday Brass performance is very special because it’s not that often that we get to single out a section of the symphony and have brass as the main focus, letting their contribution to orchestral work be fully appreciated. These holiday performances are very special shows.”
I also asked her why she became the Executive Director of the symphony. She explained how she has worked in nonprofit arts for over 30 years, was a music teacher, and also played instruments herself and performed. When the opportunity arose to take up the position, she accepted and her experience with music helped her face challenges such as having the symphony recover from the time during COVID. She also wanted to bring more diversity to the music community of musicians and instruments, support musicians in more ways, and make it possible for everyone to experience hearing music from all over the world.
The Holiday Brass Performance
(The opener was Holiday Fanfare arranged by Michael Miller.)
When the show began, it felt as if you were in a church because of how peaceful the first piece was (O Magnum Mysterium arr. Andrew Bishop). It felt very solemn but gradually became cheerier. The different instruments would play separately and then together, making their sounds flow together beautifully. The melody had a very interesting dynamic with it’s peaceful feeling. The brass and percussion were also very powerful.
In the second song (O Come, O Come Emmanuel arr. David Marlatt ) a trumpet played in the back of the theater, introducing the song, and the other instruments would play the same thing but in a different more melodic pitch. It felt like a game of call and response or “Simon-Says” and it was very fun. The trumpet was the most prominent instrument and the one you could always pick out, even when all of the other instruments were playing. It was always the loudest instrument, even when the other instruments grew louder, the trumpet stayed the loudest. It seemed like it was the lead instrument.
The third song was a French dance tune (Ding Dong Merrily on High French 16th Century arr. David Marlatt) and was very cheery and merry. It definitely evoked feelings of holiday cheer and was very “Christmassy.” The percussion was very powerful and felt like the backbone of the song.
Symphony NH Brass Quintet
(The Symphony NH Brass Quintet moved front and center to play the next three pieces)
The fourth song (A Catalonian Christmas Carol arr. David Marlatt) seemed like it was another call and response song, with two instruments being very prominent and easy to pick out at the beginning and throughout the entire song. All of the instruments flowed nicely together in the middle of the song and it was very peaceful. Some of the instruments were much deeper than the others which stood out when the song gradually became higher pitched towards the end. It was a very pretty and peaceful song.
The fifth song (Riu, Riu Chiu arr. Todd Marchand) was very upbeat and began with the percussion performing, with musicians clapping and the jingly sharp sound of the tambourine. The song was quite catchy and started off with a lower and deeper sound and gradually became higher pitched with the instruments joining together. The song ended with the trumpet playing a very sharp and distinct note.
The sixth song (Huron Carol arr. Chris Morrison) began very quietly, having a much deeper sound. The percussion in the background felt like the backbone of the song and made the instruments connect with one another and flow smoothly.
Returning to the Full Ensemble
The seventh song (il est ne. arr. Phil snedecor) was very gradual, starting off with one instrument playing then slowly adding in the other instruments. The song grew faster, louder, and more high pitched. After the sharper, high pitched sounds, they went back to having just one instrument section playing at a time, gradually becoming higher pitched. After the sharper notes and sounds, the music began to flow together smoothly, playing slower and slower, yet the song ended with them playing faster, higher pitched, and louder. The ending was very satisfying.
The eighth song (Ye Merry Gents – David Marlatt) started off with deep and high pitched sounds, mixing together. The cymbals added a mystical effect to the performance. Then the song became very quiet, until it exploded into a jazzy, catchy, and upbeat tune. It was filled with upbeat tapping and percussion and high pitched and sudden sounds. This song was very jazzy and joyful.
The ninth song (In Stillness from Transcendent Light David Marlatt) was very quiet and soft, but it also had a single sharp note that seemed to cut through all of the other instruments. The instruments joined together and the cymbals introduced them into becoming louder and forming a greater, powerful sound. Towards the end of the song it became much softer and quieter and ended with a deeper sound, similar to how it began.
The tenth song (March of the Toys from Babes in Toyland) was very cheery and catchy with different high and low pitches. The instruments played individual notes instead of long sustained sounds, as well as a lot of tremolos, which made the song more melodic. This added to the cheery mood of the song and made it much more catchy and upbeat.
(The Symphony NH Jazz Quintet came forward to play the next three pieces)
The eleventh song (I’ll be home for Christmas arr. Kenneth Abeling) was a jazzier and much smoother and deeper version of I’ll Be Home For Christmas. It felt more modern but kept the same feeling as the original. It was followed by Jingle Bell Rock. (also arranged by Kenneth Abeling)
The thirteenth song (Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas arr. Luther Henderson) had the same modern feel and was very similar, being a smooth, beautiful, and jazzy version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
Closing Out the Program with the Full Ensemble
The fourteenth song (The Christmas Song arr. David Hanson) was different from the last two because of how the instruments slowed together. There were a lot of tremolos which were added to the merry felling. The xylophone added a twinkly effect and the deep and high sounds flowed in and out of each other beautifully. Towards the end of the song there was a crash of cymbals which made for a nice transition to the ending.
The last song on the program (O Come All Ye Faithful arr. Jim Parcel) was very cheerful and the tambourines added a nice jingly touch. This song was the highest pitch out of all of them and showed off all of the instruments.
(Conductor David Upham asked the audience if it was OK to play one last piece and…)
The show ended with an amazing performance of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”! This was the perfect song to end the concert with because it sent people out feeling merry and embracing the holiday spirit with it playing in their heads.
Throughout the entire performance every musician concentrated on playing their instruments but most of them also had huge smiles on their faces while tapping their feet and dancing a bit, and one musician gave the audience an enthusiastic thumbs up, at the end of a piece, displaying just how proud they were of themselves.
You could tell they knew they put on an amazing show with their big bows and smiles they showed at the end of every song. If you are interested in music, check out performances going on at the Rex Theater, as well as Symphony New Hampshire. The Rex hosts many different musical events centered around many different genres of music, so you’ll be sure to find something you’re interested in and will enjoy.
An Editor Footnote on Symphony NH’s Brass Quintet
The brass quintet played the following:
- El Noi de la Mare (A Catalonian Christmas Carol)
- Riu Riu Chiu
- Huron Carol
- I’ll Be Home for Christmas
- Jingle Bell Rock
- Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
The members of the quintet were:
- Matt Naeger, trumpet 1
- Cheryl Przytula, trumpet 2
- Ho-yin Li, horn
- Jude Morris, trombone
- Benjamin Romanow, tuba
- Sean McCarty played trombone on Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas in place of Jude Morris.
This performance review via the INKUBATOR is a collaborative effort of Ink Link News and our performance music Community Partner, Symphony NH who jointly believe that education outside the classroom can provide real world experiences leading to wonderful growth opportunities for students in our state.
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Story by Talia Harmon, a student contributor for the Inkubator.
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