I don’t often make my way out to Jersey for concerts, but on Friday night I made an exception to see the Ridgewood Concert Band, an organization of local wind and percussion musicians, many of whom also perform with professional ensembles in the city. They are directed by their founder Dr. Christian Wilhjelm, a former horn player with the Boston Symphony who also serves as the director of NYU’s Wind Ensemble.
The program was surprisingly challenging for an enesmble based in the ‘burbs: the first half included Hindemith’s Konzermusik fur Blasorchester, which sounded like one of Ives’ twisted marching band pieces. (During intermission, I heard it described as 
sounding "like an orchestra warming up.") Later, they played John Zdechlik’s Chorale and Shaker Dance, which uses the same hymn as Copland’s Appalachian Spring ("’Tis a Gift to be Simple"), but twists it into a grotesque version of itself before climaxing in a bombastic finale resembling the conclusion of Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony.
In the second half, they were joined by the local Orpheus Club Mens Chorus, in which my father, Jim Matthews, has sung tenor for the past eight years. (Hey, what good is this blogging thing if I can’t call out my family and friends once in awhile?) For me, the highlight was Wagner’s "Pilgrim’s Chorus" from Tannhauser, accompanied by voluminous brass and percussion. Though they could have used Wagner’s famously descending strings and twice as many voices, the effect was still stirring.
The concert ended with a rousing arrangement of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" with a huge finish that got the audience up on their feet in applause. Next season’s lineup up for the RCB looks fairly ambitious, including Stravinsky’s Petroushka, Ives’ Variations on America, and several world premieres; details to be found on the website soon.
Speaking of new music, I’ll be at Zankel tomorrow night to see the Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble, performing works by Earle Brown, Somei Satoh, Iannis Xenakis, and my new friend Stockhausen. 😉 Balcony tickets are only $15; you can get them here or at the box office.