Future Celebration

Concert

LUCA Winds

Ivan Meylemans, conductor

Future Celebration was composed on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Koninklijke Socialistische Harmonie De Toekomst from Sint-Niklaas (Belgium). In this colorful composition, Kevin Houben (1977) succeeds in depicting the bustling textile and cigar industry of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries of the East Flemish city of Sint-Niklaas. After all, these trades were characteristic of the wealth they brought to the city. Witness to this are still the two unique (niche) museums in Sint-Niklaas: the Knitwear Museum and the Pipe and Tobacco Museum. Even in times of great crises, e.g. during the interwar period, the city continued to flourish. A feature of this is the unique collection of listed Art Deco houses, including the former Volkshuis, where the Koninklijke Socialistische Harmonie De Toekomst still rehearses. This historical background of Sint-Niklaas and of the wind band in particular is presented musically by Kevin Houben in Future Celebration. The short but energetic and powerful opening of the work, by the brass, depicts Sint-Niklaas as a prosperous city. After the woodwinds present a broad and lyrical theme, an allegro with an upbeat theme casts a glance toward the future, looking hopefully forward to the next milestones/celebrations ahead for the city and its orchestra.

American composer David Maslanka (1943-2017) became best known for his music for wind ensemble. He wrote eight symphonies, a mass, several choral works, about twenty concertos, numerous chamber works (including wind quintets and saxophone quartets), several orchestral works and works for solo winds and piano. Angel of Mercy (literally translated as "angel of mercy") he wrote at the request of Timothy Mahr and the St. Olaf Band, on the occasion of their 125th anniversary. The chorales "O Fear, Disquiet, and Apprehension," "Oh, How Blest Are Ye" and "I Leave All Things to God's Direction" are the foundation of this composition.

Symphony No. 4 is also written by Maslanka. Again, chorales ("Only Trust in God to Guide You" and "Christ Who Makes Us Holy" by J.S. Bach) are the basis of the work, in addition to some hymns (including "Old Hundred") and similar melodies. Maslanka himself describes the work as a cry of joie de vivre, the unquenchable urge to cry it out from an existential sense of gratitude for what is and lives.

Throughout history, various writers and composers have used the tragic story of Egmont and gave it a personal interpretation, including Bert Appermont (1973). Four elements or scenes from the story serve as important dramatic pillars in this process: Egmont's wedding (part 1), Egmont's difficult relationship with Philip II (part 2), his beheading in Brussels (part 3) and then the revolt of the Netherlands against the Spanish oppression (part 4). The work opens with the compelling melody that depicts the figure of Egmont and will recur throughout the work in various guises.

Programme