ACO Concert Band Concert 10.17.25

Seis Manuel is the third movement of the suite Islas y Montañas.

The seis is the traditional song and dance form of the Jíbaro people, the farmers of the mountains of Puerto Rico. At least 50 distinctive types of seis have been identified. The term originally meant a dance for six men or six couples. This movement, Seis Manuel, is based on a traditional recurring harmonic pattern called the seis mapeyé, over which a singer improvises a melody.

Because of the very long history of military bands in Puerto Rico, with a particular importance placed on low brass and clarinets, those instruments are given solos. In keeping with the Puerto Rican tradition of naming a seis after someone important to its creation, this Seis was renamed in honor of conductor Manny Laureano, who commissioned and premiered the piece.

– Shelley Hanson

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Elgar’s name first became known in London through his Imperial March (1896), which was used for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee on June 22, 1897. Building on the momentum of this success, Elgar began writing his most famous and beloved march, Pomp and Circumstance No. 1 (the first of five).
He took the title Pomp & Circumstance from Shakespeare’s Othello, Act 3 Scene 3, in which Othello bids farewell to his soldier’s profession, his warrior-like character undermined by the mistaken belief in Desdemona’s infidelity:

“…the neighing steed, and the shrill trump, the spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife, the royal banner, and all quality, pride, pomp and circumstance of glorious war.”

The fourth march was completed on June 7, 1907—five days after Elgar’s 50th birthday—and premiered in Queen’s Hall on August 24, 1907. No. 4 is similar to No. 1, the iconic graduation march, in having a lively, rhythmic section and a broad lyrical trio melody. By listening closely, you’ll hear its resemblance to the famous march played at graduations around the world.
Elgar himself described it as “gaudily gay and brilliant,” and, with a sly smile, showcased how the march and trio themes can beautifully intertwine in a triumphant coda.
— The Elgar Society (Edited)

Two months after arriving in the United States, Dvořák wrote to a friend:

“The Americans expect great things from me. I am to show them a way into…the realm of a new, independent art.”

Hardly daunted, he was inspired by their faith in him and quickly sought out samples of American folk idioms. Dvořák found a wealth of inspiration in African American spirituals and the music of the continent’s Indigenous peoples. The heartfelt Symphony No. 9 grew out of this fascination, creating a representation of the “New World” that seemed almost impossible from the pen of a visitor.

Many of the symphony’s themes appeared to be direct folk quotations, but Dvořák insisted they were his own inventions—crafted through deep study of native melodies. His interpretations were so authentic that, even today, it can be hard to believe they weren’t direct borrowings.

Dvořák gifted America a masterpiece that celebrated its unique musical soul. While the 2nd movement’s English horn solo and the 4th movement’s “Jaws”-like motif are famous, the 1st movement is structurally the strongest. Its rhythmic profile reappears throughout the work, creating unity across all four movements. The introduction begins like the start of an epic tale—an aural “once upon a time.” The music then builds in waves of energy and lyricism until the final measures, where horns and trumpets triumphantly bring the movement to a close.

— Utah Symphony Orchestra & Max Derrikson (Edited)

Tchaikovsky wrote his first ballet, Swan Lake (1875), admittedly for the money. The project filled his pockets but also awakened his gift for writing music that embodies dance. Thirteen years later, and after composing two symphonies and several operas, Tchaikovsky was commissioned to write another ballet—this time based on the fairy tale The Sleeping Beauty.

Since its premiere, The Sleeping Beauty has become a cornerstone of ballet repertoire. Even in concert form, its music enchants—Tchaikovsky at his finest. The suite opens with music heard before the curtain rises: rather than graceful dance music, it begins with the muscular motif of the wicked fairy Carabosse, who curses Princess Aurora. Soon follows the shimmering theme of the Lilac Fairy, Aurora’s protector.

We then hear the procession of Aurora’s suitors, the lively “Puss in Boots” dance from the Act III wedding, and the radiant Panorama at the start of Act II. The suite concludes with one of Tchaikovsky’s most beloved waltzes, danced by the corps with garlands of flowers in celebration of Aurora’s sixteenth birthday.

— Orrin Howard (Edited)