Published in the March 23, 2018 edition
WAKEFIELD — Among the sources of inspiration for music are the myths and legends from today and from ages past. Join the Middlesex Concert Band and guest vocalist April Foley for an exciting mix of pieces celebrating real-life and fanciful characters that have shaped our folklore and culture. Myths and Legends will be presented at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 25, in the state-of-the-art Veterans Memorial Auditorium in the Galvin Middle School, 525 Main Street, Wakefield. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. A reception following the concert will include raffles, free refreshments, and small ensembles sharing their favorite picks.
Music Director Mark Olson kicks off the program with “Captain America March,” a rousing glimpse of The Marvel Universe, by Alan Silvestri. Next is “The Ride of the Valkyries,” perhaps Richard Wagner’s most famous composition that evokes epic battles of the gods. The riveting theme of Nordic mythology continues with “Fate of the Gods,” by Steven Reineke. We then take a romantic turn with highlights of Broadway’s longest-running show, “The Phantom of the Opera,” and the beautiful singing of April Foley with “But Not For Me,” by George and Ira Gershwin. Music from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” by Klaus Badelt, and Ramin Djawadi’s indelible theme from the HBO series, “Game of Thrones,” will round out the first portion of the program.
The program resumes after a brief intermission with the first movement from Johan de Meij’s symphony based on J.R.R. Tolkein’s “The Lord of the Rings.” This movement depicts the stately Gandalf and a wild ride on his beautiful horse, Shadowfax. Other legendary equines are the million British horses who served in World War I. Their deeply moving story is told by Spielberg’s film “War Horse.” We will be playing a selection from its powerful score by John Williams called “Dartmoor, 1912.” April Foley then returns to the stage to sing “I Dreamed a Dream” by Andrew Lloyd Webber from “Les Miserables.” Next, we will present a baseball poem more legendary than its subject. “Casey at Bat” was published by Massachusett’s Ernest Thayer in 1888 and became famous on the Vaudeville circuit. The location of the real Mudville setting remains a source of contention between Holliston, Massachusetts and Stockton, California. Our own John O’Toole narrates the story set to music by Randol Alan Bass. Finally, a concert of legends would not be complete without “A Tribute to Elvis” and a closer from the score of “Superman” appropriately named “Soaring with John Williams.”
The Middlesex Concert Band is a nonprofit, community band made up of more than 50 musicians of all ages who come from throughout Northeast Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. Originally founded in the 1950s as a marching band, the group evolved into a concert band in 1975. Our director is Mark E. Olson. He is also the Director of Bands at Harvard University and the principal trumpet in the Metropolitan Wind Symphony. April Foley has sung with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and the Bronx Opera. She plays numerous leading roles in community music theatre and has provided private voice instruction for 15 years in her vocal studio.
Admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students. Children under 12 are free. For tickets, go to www.mcbconcertband.org or contact the MCB box office at 781-670-7662.
