The Hill Country Community Band will present a program called, “Requiem Aeternam,” February 23 at Wimberley First Baptist Church.
Translated from Latin to mean, “Grant them Eternal rest,” it features music by Giuseppe Verdi, Frank Ticheli, Johann Sebastian Bach, Karl King, and John Philip Sousa.
The band will perform Verdi’s “Requiem,” composed in 1874 and first performed on the oneyear anniversary of the death of Alessandro Manzoni. Mazoni was an Italian poet, novelist and philosopher famous for the novel, “The Betrothed,” which is, according to Wikipedia, generally ranked among the masterpieces of world literature. With deep feeling, the “Requiem” expresses the spiritual hope of eventual triumph over death.
The volunteer wind band will also perform, “Angels in the Architecture,” by Frank Ticheli which draws inspiration from the spiritual and physical beauty of gothic cathedrals, woven throughout with themes of hope and despair. The music contrasts the mystical with the modern, employing a rich tapestry of sound that ends in an uplifting, radiant celebration.
The program also includes, “Fervent is My Longing” and “Fugue in G Minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach. Composed around 1707, it is considered one of his greatest masterpieces. It is often studied in music schools for the clarity and perfection of its form and counterpoint.
Two marches complete the program, with King’s “Cyrus the Great” Persian March, and Sousa’s funeral march, “The Honored Dead.”
The concert is Sunday, February 23, at 4 p.m., in the Wimberley First Baptist Church, 15951 Winters Mill Parkway. The HCCB, directed by Dr. Manuel Arambula, is a non-profit, all volunteer wind band based in Hays County. Rehearsals are held at the Wimberley First Baptist Church on Tuesdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and new members are always welcome. For more information, visit hillcountrycommunityband. org.
