Join us for our season finale – bring a chair or blanket and a picnic! Popular, patriotic, and light classical music are in store.
MONDAY, JUNE 9, 7:00 p.m.
The dry weather means we will be playing tonight!
GLEN MILLER PARK
2200 E. MAIN ST., RICHMOND
Caravan – Juan Tizol (1900-84)
First performed by Duke Ellington in 1937, this is one of the great standards of jazz literature. Tizol was a trombonist, which explains the solo use of that instrument in many arrangements of this work. This is considered the first example of exotic harmonies and melodies in a popular work.
Dance of the Hours – Amilcare Ponchielli (1834-86), arr. Richard Meyer
From La Gioconda
This is ballet music for an opera written in 1876 by Ponchielli. The “hours” represented are dawn, daytime, twilight, and night. Much of this music was used in Disney’s 1940 animated film Fantasia. Alan Sherman also used the opening melody for his biggest hit, “Hello, Mudda; Hello, Fadda.”
Light Cavalry Overture – Franz von Suppe (1819-95), arr. Merle J. Isaac
As is typical of von Suppe, the overture to this operetta has outlived the original stage work it was written for. First performed in 1866, this piece is probably more recognizable as music for cartoons. In fact, Walt Disney used this music in the Mickey Mouse feature Symphony Hour. Carl Stalling, who later worked at Warner Bros., worked with Disney in the early years and developed a tick track system, in which the music for an animated feature is recorded first, then the animators match their drawings to the music.
The Flight of the Bumblebee – Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)
From The Legend of Tsar Saltan Arr. Langenus/Conard
This was written in 1899 for an opera based on a poem by Alexander Pushkin. During act 3, the son of the Tsar, Prince Gvidon, is turned into an insect by the magic Swan-Bird so he can return to his father to let him know he is still alive. Once Gvidon arrives, he stings some of those responsible for his capture and causes all kinds of chaos. The Swan-Bird actually sings at the beginning of the piece:
Well, now, my bumblebee, go on a spree,
catch up with the ship on the sea,
go down secretly,
get deep into a crack.
Good luck, Gvidon, fly,
only do not stay long!
(The bumblebee flies away.)
Broadway Tonight! – Arr. Bruce Chase
All but the last number in this medley were first performed in Broadway musicals. Although “That’s Entertainment!” did not appear in a stage musical, it was written for the 1953 film The Band Wagon and has always symbolized the theater.
“Everything’s Coming Up Roses” from Gypsy
“Soon It’s Gonna Rain” from The Fantasticks
“My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music
“Try to Remember” from The Fantasticks
“People” from Funny Girl
“That’s Entertainment!”
Prelude from Carmen – Georges Bizet (1838-75), arr. Casey Kriechbaum
By far the most famous work by this French composer was his opera Carmen, set in Spain. Carmen premiered in Paris on March 3, 1875; unfortunately, Bizet died suddenly in June, after the 33rd performance of the work. Carmen has many memorable melodies, and the Prelude uses the “Toreador March” in the middle.
The Wild, Wild West – Richard Markowitz (1926-94), arr. Roy Phillippe
This theme music was for the TV series of the same name that ran from 1965 to 1969. It was described by its creator as “James Bond on horseback.” Although the ratings were strong, the series was cancelled in its fourth season to appease a Congressional Committee on violence on television.
Look for the Silver Lining – Jerome Kern (1885-1945), arr. Ralph Matesky
Written for a 1919 musical that flopped, this piece was revived by Kern the following year for the musical Sally, in which Marilyn Miller made it her signature tune. It even made an appearance in the series Downton Abbey; however the time period of the episode is a year before the piece was published.
Starr Valley Waltz – Jay Conard (1958- )
The RCO first performed this piece at a Gennett Foundation induction ceremony in 2008, the same year the RCO was formed. The opening “descends” into the Starr Valley (Whitewater Gorge), and soon you hear typical 1920s Dixieland before we launch into ¾ time. Several sections and soloists in the RCO are highlighted in this piece.
The American Frontier – Calvin Custer (1939-98)
This medley of American tunes begins with “The Girl I Left Behind,” an old Irish tune used by the British and U.S. military. It is still played at West Point during final formations at graduation. Next is “Chester,” a New England hymn tune written by William Billings around the time of the Revolutionary War, followed by Stephen Foster’s “Oh, Susanna!” and “Shenandoah,” a tune used on sailing ships. It closes with a stirring rendition of “America, the Beautiful.”
For a taste of the RCO, the link below takes you to our June 2023 concert in Glen Miller Park.