Intermediate Orchestra

Programme notes

NYIO have prepared a varied and challenging programme demonstrating a range of musical styles from different periods of music.

1. Hansel and Gretel Overture

We begin the concert with the Overture to Humperdinck's opera, Hansel and Gretel. Composed across 1891-2, the Opera portrays the traditional fairy tale and the Overture sets the stage for the magical and whimsical character that will follow. The piece opens with a warm lyrical theme, interrupted by a trumpet fanfare to lead us into the main body of the Overture. Several key themes from the opera are presented including children and play, evening prayer, and the magical forest. At the end of the piece these themes are skilfully woven together.

2. Duke Ellington!

Born in 1899, Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist and bandleader who led one of the most influential jazz orchestras in the world. His career spanned over five decades and his compositions shaped the course of jazz history. This medley covers some of his greatest hits and has provided the Intermediate Orchestra (many of whom are new to playing jazz music) a chance to perform a very different style of music to traditional orchestral repertoire. 

3. Theme from E.T.

Released in 1982, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was an immediate blockbuster hit, and tells the story of a boy who befriends a being who is stranded on earth and in need of help to return to his home planet. John Williams' score for the film accomplished the feat of winning the Academy Award, Golden Globe, Grammy and BAFTA. The main theme from the film prominently features the famous sweeping string melody, alternating with a playful wind theme. The music picks up with a brass fanfare before coming to a soft calm close.

4. Night on Bald Mountain

NYIO typically play arrangements of music that make some of the trickier passages more manageable for younger players, but we do also try to tackle original versions. These would be the same parts used by a professional orchestra, and these are the parts we will be using to perform our final piece. Composed in 1867 by Mussorgsky, Night on Bald Mountain conjures images of supernatural legends from Russian folklore: a witches' sabbath on top of a treeless mountain. The music begins with frantic eerie sounds from the violins and woodwind leading to a strident theme for the brass and lower strings. Harsh timbres and dissonances add to the tense atmosphere. The music builds to a frantic finale before being halted by the sounds of distant church bells, which bring in dawn and disperse the evil spirits.