WSMA State Honors Concerts

- And now, it is my distinct privilege to introduce you to the 2025 WSMA High School State Honors Orchestra and their esteemed conductor, Daniel Sommerville.

[applause] [ Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz] [bright orchestral music] [gentle English horn solo] [gentle orchestral music] [ Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz] [ Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz] [string and woodwind flourishes] [ Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz] [ Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz] [ Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz] [gentle bassoon music] [bright orchestral music] [ Roman Carnival Overture by Hector Berlioz] [audience applauds] - Daniel Sommerville: Thank you.

It is sure good to play for you.

We've been preparing this music for a long time, and looking forward to sharing it with all of you.

And, as Carrie also mentioned before, we're grateful for all the parents, all the music educators.

Parents, I'm sure you can remember way back when your student started on an instrument, and the sounds that they were making were not real pleasant.

[audience laughs] But then, you encouraged them, you kept supporting them, and they grew, and they grew, and they grew, and now, I'm sure you're so proud of them up here.

I'm proud of them, and I don't really know all of them like you do.

So, just thank you for your commitment to raising them up this way.

And as I told the orchestra, I hope each one of them continues on in music, whether as a music major or just as a vocation.

There are lots of groups out there to play in and everything, and music is such a great thing to do for your whole life.

Well, onto our next piece.

This is Elgar's, two variations from Elgar's Enigma Variations.

These are kind of different than any other set of variations in that Elgar wrote these, each one, as a dedication to a good friend.

So, we're playing two of them tonight.

We have "W.N.," which is for Winifred Norbert, who was a neighbor of Elgar's and who also helped him to prepare his music for publication.

Now, you can hear, he actually writes, he describes her musically.

She was a person of delicacy and charm, and you'll hear that at the very beginning.

And she also had this very interesting laugh, and you'll hear that in the staccato section that comes a little bit later on.

Now, this movement goes right into "Nimrod," which was, which is actually one of the most sublime pieces ever written.

It's very, well, it's somber, but it's powerful.

It's very powerful.

It's used sometimes by orchestras when they're playing something in memory of a musician or something that recently passed away.

So, but it's just so gripping emotionally.

Well, I'm not gonna talk anymore.

We're gonna play for you these two movements from Elgar's Enigma Variations.

[ Variations on an Original Theme, mvts.

VIII and IX by Edward Elgar] [bright orchestral music] [ Variations on an Original Theme, mvts.

VIII and IX by Edward Elgar] [ Variations on an Original Theme, mvts.

VIII and IX by Edward Elgar] [ Variations on an Original Theme, mvts.

VIII and IX by Edward Elgar] [ Variations on an Original Theme, mvts.

VIII and IX by Edward Elgar] [ Variations on an Original Theme, mvts.

VIII and IX by Edward Elgar] [audience applauds] [oboe tuning note] [orchestra tuning] This next piece, called "Aureate Skylines" by Elliot Leung, Elliot was a student of mine at Wheaton College.

And even when he was a student, he was writing music for Halo video game and also movies in Hong Kong.

And after graduating, he really took off in terms of his movie writing, writing some blockbuster films in China.

One, in fact, that grossed a billion dollars.

But recently, and he's pretty young still.

He's, like, in his early 30s.

Recently, he's turned his attention to concert music.

And he's had his music performed by such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the orchestras in Shanghai, Hong Kong, in Guangzhou.

In fact, this piece was written for the Guangzhou orchestra in China.

And you can read your program notes about how he was inspired by the glistening light of the late afternoon, early evening sun shining right against these tall skyscrapers, and a beautiful golden hue was the result.

And then, of course, later on, as the night falls, the windows, the lights in the windows, the twinkling of the lights in the streets.

So that was his inspiration, but I just have to say that I think there's so much more to this than just describing something like that.

It has so much in it, so much variety, so many wonderful places, going from, you know, full orchestra to some really interesting colors and sounds.

So I hope you enjoy "Aureate Skylines."

["Aureate Skylines" by Elliot Leung] [rousing orchestra music] [gentle flute and harp music] [somber bass and cello music] [gentle flute music] [gentle cello solo] [bright orchestra music] [gentle bassoon and clarinet music] [bright flute music] [bright orchestra music] ["Aureate Skylines" by Elliot Leung] [trumpet fanfare] ["Aureate Skylines" by Elliot Leung] [bright oboe solo] [gentle English horn solo] [gentle flute solo] [gentle bassoon solo] [gentle violin solo] [bright clarinet solo] [bright orchestra music] ["Aureate Skylines" by Elliot Leung] [gentle clarinet solo] [gentle flute solo] [trumpet fanfare] [cymbal crash] [rousing orchestra music] [audience applauds] Well, after all that work, four days in the summer and these two days, this thing is ending too soon, I think.

[laughs] Or, I mean, this concert.

I mean, it's been just such a wonderful, wonderful time that we've had together, and I've just really, really enjoyed working with these dedicated and very, very talented students.

The last piece that we're going to do is the fourth movement, the finale from Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony.

There are three main ideas in this symphony.

The first is very celebratory and joyous and energetic.

The second is based on a Russian folk song.

It's a little more plaintive.

And the third is the fate motive of this symphony that happens very, at the very beginnning of the symphony.

And so, you'll hear this, well, it really sounds like fate.

And what happens after this is played, it just sort of, it's like the air goes out of it.

It gets slower and lower and softer.

It's almost a complete resignation.

It's the low point.

And then, the timpani will start very softly, the horns will come in, the woodwinds, the strings, and it builds back up to a joyful conclusion.

So, here's the finale to Tchaikovsky's Symphony No.

4.

[Symphony No.

4, mvt.

IV by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] [rousing orchestra music] [Symphony No.

4, mvt.

IV by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] [Symphony No.

4, mvt.

IV by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] [Symphony No.

4, mvt.

IV by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] [Symphony No.

4, mvt.

IV by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] [Symphony No.

4, mvt.

IV by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] [Symphony No.

4, mvt.

IV by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] [cymbal crash] [Symphony No.

4, mvt.

IV by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] [Symphony No.

4, mvt.

IV by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] [Symphony No.

4, mvt.

IV by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky] [rousing ending note] [audience applauds and cheers]