the united states army band “pershing’s own” … · · 2013-05-13originally from chicago...

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T H E U . S . A R M YT H E U . S . A R M YConcert BandConcert Band

Providing a musical backdrop for many of the country’s most notable events, The United States Army Concert Band has a worldwide reputation for extraordinary musicianship.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Concert Band has performed in such respected venues as Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Hollywood Bowl. The ensemble often appears at national and international music events, and regularly performs for the Texas Bandmasters Association, the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the Music Educators National Conference, and the American Bandmasters Association.

The musicians of the Concert Band have been trained at the nation’s most prestigious universities

and conservatories. They perform with the versatil-ity and skill necessary to execute the band’s vast repertoire, and often appear in small ensembles or as soloists.

In an effort to promote international goodwill, the 65-piece traditional concert band has performed joint concerts with the Soviet Army, the Russian Navy, and the Ukrainian Navy bands, and has performed for military tattoos in Scotland, Sweden, Holland, Norway, Australia, Canada, and Japan.

The U.S. Army Concert Band performs to a home audience in Brucker Hall, located on historic Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia. Through live broadcasts, all concerts and recitals can be heard worldwide via www.usarmyband.com.

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The U.S. Army Concert BandThe U.S. Army Concert Band

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A N D O T H E R 2 0 T H C E N T U R Y M A S T E R P I E C E S

col thomas rotondi, jr.conducting

Colonel Thomas Rotondi, Jr., is the eighth Leader and Commander of The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” Originally from Chicago Heights, Illinois, Col. Rotondi holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois, and a Master of Business Ad-ministration in Management degree from Golden Gate University, San Francisco, California. While at Millikin University, Col. Rotondi was active in Phi Mu Alpha, the men’s professional music fraternity, and was selected for Pi Kappa Lambda Honorary Music Fraternity.

Col. Rotondi joined the U.S. Army as a trumpet player in December of 1977. He received his commission in July of 1982 through Officer Candidate School, where he was an honor graduate. His previous assignments include Commander, Enlisted Student Company, and Director of Evaluation and Standardization, Armed Forces School of Music, Norfolk, Virginia; Executive Officer,

U.S. Continental Army Band, Fort Monroe, Virginia; Staff Band Officer, Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Georgia; staff conductor and administrative intern, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth, Texas (this assignment made possible through the Army’s “Training with Industry” program); Commander/Conductor, U.S. Continental Army Band, Fort Monroe, Virginia; Deputy Commander, U.S. Military Academy Band, West Point, New York; Commander/Conductor, U.S. Army, Europe, Band and Chorus, Heidelberg, Germany; and Com-mander/Conductor of the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point, New York.

Col. Rotondi has studied conducting with John Gior-dano, Conductor Emeritus of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and with Eiji Oue, Music Director of the Barce-lona Symphony Orchestra. He has twice attended the Conductor’s Seminar at the Tanglewood Music Center (summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) where the faculty included Seiji Ozawa, Maurice Abrava-nel, and Gustav Meier.

His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Army Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster.

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Pomp and Circumstance, op. 39, no. 1 . . . . . . . . . Edward Elgartrans. M. Retford

The Firebird Suite (1919) . . . . . . . . . . . . Igor Stravinskytrans. Randy Earles

ed. Frederick Fennell

The Pines of Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ottorino Respighiarr. Lawrence OdomThe Pines of the Villa Borghese

The Pines Near a CatacombThe Pines of the Janiculum The Pines of the Appian Way

IntroductionL’oiseau de feu et sa danseVariation de l’oiseau de feuRonde des princessesDanse infernale du roi kastcheiBerceuseFinale

col thomas rotondi, jr.conducting

Colonel Thomas Rotondi, Jr., is the eighth Leader and Commander of The U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own.” Originally from Chicago Heights, Illinois, Col. Rotondi holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Millikin University, Decatur, Illinois, and a Master of Business Ad-ministration in Management degree from Golden Gate University, San Francisco, California. While at Millikin University, Col. Rotondi was active in Phi Mu Alpha, the men’s professional music fraternity, and was selected for Pi Kappa Lambda Honorary Music Fraternity.

Col. Rotondi joined the U.S. Army as a trumpet player in December of 1977. He received his commission in July of 1982 through Officer Candidate School, where he was an honor graduate. His previous assignments include Commander, Enlisted Student Company, and Director of Evaluation and Standardization, Armed Forces School of Music, Norfolk, Virginia; Executive Officer,

U.S. Continental Army Band, Fort Monroe, Virginia; Staff Band Officer, Forces Command, Fort McPherson, Georgia; staff conductor and administrative intern, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Fort Worth, Texas (this assignment made possible through the Army’s “Training with Industry” program); Commander/Conductor, U.S. Continental Army Band, Fort Monroe, Virginia; Deputy Commander, U.S. Military Academy Band, West Point, New York; Commander/Conductor, U.S. Army, Europe, Band and Chorus, Heidelberg, Germany; and Com-mander/Conductor of the U.S. Military Academy Band at West Point, New York.

Col. Rotondi has studied conducting with John Gior-dano, Conductor Emeritus of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and with Eiji Oue, Music Director of the Barce-lona Symphony Orchestra. He has twice attended the Conductor’s Seminar at the Tanglewood Music Center (summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra) where the faculty included Seiji Ozawa, Maurice Abrava-nel, and Gustav Meier.

His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Army Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster.

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The Firebird Suite (1919) . . . . . . . . . . . . Igor Stravinskytrans. Randy Earles

ed. Frederick Fennell

The Pines of Rome . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ottorino Respighiarr. Lawrence OdomThe Pines of the Villa Borghese

The Pines Near a CatacombThe Pines of the Janiculum The Pines of the Appian Way

to kill Kastchei and free his imprisoned young maidens. As this happens, the ugly castle turns into a beautiful palace, and the Prince takes the most beautiful maiden to be his bride.

It was not until 1919 that Stravinsky extracted the popular symphonic suite from the original 45 minute ballet score. This reorchestrated version received its premier that same year in Geneva, and was given its American premiere at Carnegie Hall in 1921 with Walter

Damrosch conducting.

the pines of romeOttorino Respighi (1879-1936)The Pines of the Villa BorgheseThe Pines Near a CatacombThe Pines of the JaniculumThe Pines of the Appian Way

Ottorino Respighi’s fame as a composer is largely de-

rived from his trilogy of tone poems inspired by Roman

sites. Set in four movements and dating from 1924, The

Pines of Rome is the most well known of the three. The

work depicts four Roman landscapes at different times

of day, and has as a unifying feature the stately pine

trees that are as much a part of Rome as the ruins and

the resident stray cats. The opening movement depicts

children at play among the pines of the Villa Borghese;

the second section explores the pines near a catacomb,

the scene complete with a recurring chant melody that

dominates the texture. In the composer’s words, a chant

of martyrs “rises from the depths, re-echoes silently, like

a hymn, and then dies away.” The third section features

a prominent piano solo and the call of a nightingale that

evokes the eerie midnight scene at the Janiculum – the

site of an ancient temple to Janus. The finale is one of

the most dazzling moments of twentieth-century music

– The Pines of the Appian Way describes the approach of

the Roman Legions marching in full regalia. Their signal

trumpets announce their arrival at the outskirts of the

Eternal City, while a blazing morning sun reflects off a

thousand polished shields in a brilliant display.

Notes by SFC Regena Swanson

Program Notes

pomp and circumstance,op. 39Edward Elgar (1857-1934)March no. 1March no. 2 March no. 4

Sir Edward Elgar’s famous suite of concert marches entitled Pomp and Circumstance is a musical testament to the composer’s love of British pageantry. The first march dates from 1901 and first gained notoriety when the composer arranged the trio tune with lyrics as Land of Hope and Glory, and it was used in the 1902 corona-tion of King Edward VII. Renowned in the United States as a popular graduation processional, the march was first heard in this setting during a 1905 Yale University ceremony at which Elgar received an honorary doctor-ate. The second march was composed and premiered along with the first, and even with its minor tonality it is simple and light-hearted, and offers an entertaining mix of English civility and raucous horn calls. The fourth march was written in 1907, and, similar in style to the first march, features both ceremonial fanfare and a flowing trio melody that celebrates British patriotism.

the firebird suite (1919)Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)IntroductionL’oiseau de feu et sa danseVariation de l’oiseau de feuRonde des princessesDanse infernale du roi kastcheiBerceuseFinale

Sergei Diaghilev, the well-known impresario of the Bal-let Russes, was solely responsible for the early fame of Igor Stravinsky. He hired the then unknown 28 year-old composer to write the music for his 1910 production of The Firebird, and it proved to be an instant success. The two men collaborated again almost immediately on two more projects – Petrouchka and the iconic Rite of Spring, both which paved the way for Stravinsky’s international

acclaim.

The ballet relates the story of Prince Ivan Tsarevich capturing the Firebird – a magical creature that is half bird and half woman – in the garden of the evil King Kastchei. The Firebird bargains for her freedom, and when she is released she gives the Prince one of her magic feathers, which he later employs to escape the clutches of Kastchei. The Firebird then tells him the secret of the King’s immortality—which the Prince uses

to kill Kastchei and free his imprisoned young maidens. As this happens, the ugly castle turns into a beautiful palace, and the Prince takes the most beautiful maiden to be his bride.

It was not until 1919 that Stravinsky extracted the popular symphonic suite from the original 45 minute ballet score. This reorchestrated version received its premier that same year in Geneva, and was given its American premiere at Carnegie Hall in 1921 with Walter

Damrosch conducting.

the pines of romeOttorino Respighi (1879-1936)The Pines of the Villa BorgheseThe Pines Near a CatacombThe Pines of the JaniculumThe Pines of the Appian Way

Ottorino Respighi’s fame as a composer is largely de-

rived from his trilogy of tone poems inspired by Roman

sites. Set in four movements and dating from 1924, The

Pines of Rome is the most well known of the three. The

work depicts four Roman landscapes at different times

of day, and has as a unifying feature the stately pine

trees that are as much a part of Rome as the ruins and

the resident stray cats. The opening movement depicts

children at play among the pines of the Villa Borghese;

the second section explores the pines near a catacomb,

the scene complete with a recurring chant melody that

dominates the texture. In the composer’s words, a chant

of martyrs “rises from the depths, re-echoes silently, like

a hymn, and then dies away.” The third section features

a prominent piano solo and the call of a nightingale that

evokes the eerie midnight scene at the Janiculum – the

site of an ancient temple to Janus. The finale is one of

the most dazzling moments of twentieth-century music

– The Pines of the Appian Way describes the approach of

the Roman Legions marching in full regalia. Their signal

trumpets announce their arrival at the outskirts of the

Eternal City, while a blazing morning sun reflects off a

thousand polished shields in a brilliant display.

Notes by SFC Regena Swanson

Program Notes

pomp and circumstance,op. 39Edward Elgar (1857-1934)March no. 1March no. 2 March no. 4

Sir Edward Elgar’s famous suite of concert marches entitled Pomp and Circumstance is a musical testament to the composer’s love of British pageantry. The first march dates from 1901 and first gained notoriety when the composer arranged the trio tune with lyrics as Land of Hope and Glory, and it was used in the 1902 corona-tion of King Edward VII. Renowned in the United States as a popular graduation processional, the march was first heard in this setting during a 1905 Yale University ceremony at which Elgar received an honorary doctor-ate. The second march was composed and premiered along with the first, and even with its minor tonality it is simple and light-hearted, and offers an entertaining mix of English civility and raucous horn calls. The fourth march was written in 1907, and, similar in style to the first march, features both ceremonial fanfare and a flowing trio melody that celebrates British patriotism.

the firebird suite (1919)Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)IntroductionL’oiseau de feu et sa danseVariation de l’oiseau de feuRonde des princessesDanse infernale du roi kastcheiBerceuseFinale

Sergei Diaghilev, the well-known impresario of the Bal-let Russes, was solely responsible for the early fame of Igor Stravinsky. He hired the then unknown 28 year-old composer to write the music for his 1910 production of The Firebird, and it proved to be an instant success. The two men collaborated again almost immediately on two more projects – Petrouchka and the iconic Rite of Spring, both which paved the way for Stravinsky’s international

acclaim.

The ballet relates the story of Prince Ivan Tsarevich capturing the Firebird – a magical creature that is half bird and half woman – in the garden of the evil King Kastchei. The Firebird bargains for her freedom, and when she is released she gives the Prince one of her magic feathers, which he later employs to escape the clutches of Kastchei. The Firebird then tells him the secret of the King’s immortality—which the Prince uses

saxophoneSGM Rick N. Parrell, Fairfax, VASFC Steven S. Ticknor, Topeka, KSSSG Scott H. Weinhold, Albany, NYSSG Cesar Eli Gonzalez, Rio Grande City, TXSSG Michael M. Vance, Woodland, WA

trumpetSGM Woodrow R. English, Coldwater, MISGM Charles L. Seipp, Akron, IAMSG Tammy J. Leverone, Richmond, KYMSG Gil Hoffer, Indianapolis, IN SFC Terry Bingham, Fairfax, VASFC Kenneth W. McGee, Stafford, VASFC Troy A. McKay, Richmond, MOSSG Jesse Tubb, South Lake Tahoe, CA

french hornMSG Joseph G. Lovinsky, Miami, FLSFC Robert P. Craven, Manchester, NHSSG Aaron K. Cockson, Foley, ALSSG Brooke B. Eberly, Baton Rouge, LASSG Brian Anderson, Columbia, SCSSG Shane K. Clare, Dallas, TX

euphoniumMSG Donald J. Palmire, Jr., Penney Farms, FLMSG D. Patrick Morris, Philadelphia, PASSG Adam R. Lessard, Athens, GA

trombone MSG Jerry J. Amoury, Leawood, KSMSG Darryl R. Buning, Grand Rapids, MIMSG Michael A. Parnell, Topeka, KSSFC James L. Fantz, Crosby, TXSSG Samuel B. Woodhead, Northport, ME

tuba SFC David T. Brown, Nashville, TNSFC Jonathan W. Voth, Hutchinson, KSSFC Thomas L. Bratten, Palm Beach Gardens, FLSSG David C. Kirven, Paris, TX

string bassMSG Michael A. McReynolds, St. Louis, MOSSG Eric J. Seay, Oak Ridge, TN

percussionMSG Timothy J. Huesgen, Pontiac, MIMSG Jay C. Brown, York, PASFC Glen D. Gurnard, Cashmere, WASFC Harold F. Summey, Jr., Newport News, VASFC Mario H. Ramsey, Pendleton, SC

timpaniSFC Julie Angelis, Worcester, MA

pianoSFC Raffi J. Kasparian, Los Angeles, CA

soprano vocalistSFC Leigh Ann Hinton, Troy, NY

conductorCOL Thomas Rotondi, Jr., Chicago Heights, IL

fluteMSG Andrea L. Artley, St. Charles, ILSFC Kendra B. Craven, Sturgeon Bay, WISSG Robert E. Aughtry, Gaffney, SCSSG Elizabeth D. McGinness, Richardson, TX

piccoloMSG Barbara A. Vigil, Garland, TX

oboeMSG Robert D. Huffman, Alexandria, VASFC Lorrie A. Brown, Fort Huachuca, AZSSG Amanda P. Jury, Belmont, MA

english hornSSG Meredeth Rouse, Boston, MA

e flat clarinetSFC Leesa S. Voth, Jonestown, TXSFC Julie M. Berry, Long Beach, CA

b flat clarinetCSM Debra L. McGarity, Covington, VAMSG Dennis P. McFarland, Chapel Hill, NCMSG Dennis Strawley, Aston, PASFC Lane S. Shioji, El Paso, TXSFC Sylvia M. Stanton, Akron, OHSFC Phillip L. Dennis, Belvidere, ILSFC Donald E. Hoffman, Northumberland, PASFC Charles B. Morrow, Westfield, NCSSG Adam S. Ebert, Plainview, NYSSG Aubrey Lafosse, Kingwood, TXSSG Jennifer Lissak, Williamsville, NYSSG Aaron D. Scott, Pittsburgh, PA

bass clarinetSSG Jeanna Nelson, Babylon, NYSSG Martin H. Gold, Sarasota, FL

bassoonSGM David W. Brundage, Woodbridge, VASFC Max Wharton, Grafton, OHSSG Dean G. Woods, Dalton, GA