WINONA LAKE – The Grace College Community Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Martin Becker, will present its fall concert, Celebrating the Greatest Generation, a musical tribute and celebration of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rodeheaver Auditorium, Winona Lake. Admission is free but an offering opportunity will be available at intermission. The program will feature music of Sousa, Shostakovich, Rodgers and Hammerstein, John Williams and more. Becker will lead the 70-piece symphonic band in an evening of patriotic music connected and dedicated to the veterans of World War II, according to a press release. To begin, the concert the band will perform the music of John Williams, “The March from 1941.” The March from the movie “1941” is the most memorable part of this Steven Spielberg 1979 production starring John Belushi, the release states. The lack of success for the movie may stem from the plot that depicts hysteria in Los Angeles just days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when fear of a Japanese invasion is imminent. But the March is full of American spirit and brings a strong emotion of patriotism to open the program, the release states. The second selection is the finale from Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 5.” Becker stated that “as it is with most orchestral transcriptions, this band arrangement is most challenging for the symphonic band and the Grace Community Wind Ensemble members have worked extremely hard on this music.” In the 1930s, the Soviet Union reeled under the purges of Joseph Stalin. Every person knew the terror of losing a family member to the gulag, or to a death sentence. Official government decrees defined truth and beauty. Traditional composers were declared decadent and their music forbidden. In this environment, Dmitri Shostakovich, the Soviet composer, found himself heavily scrutinized. Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 5” reflected his situation as an artist who would be judged by politics as much as by talent. Shostakovich lived in fear, sleeping in the stairwell outside his apartment to spare his family the experience of his imminent arrest. Some speculate that the success of this Symphony might have saved the composers life as Stalin seemed appeased by its popularity and reception, according to the press release. Next in the concert is music from the Broadway show “South Pacific,” based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by James Michener, “Tales of the South Pacific.” The musical adaptation by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein was an instant success, and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. Rogers and Hammerstein are arguably the American equivalent of Gilbert and Sullivan, producing an enormous succession of Broadway hits, including “Oklahoma,” “Carousel,” “The King and I,” “Flower Drum Song,” “The Sound of Music” and “State Fair,” to name just some, the release states. The South Pacific Symphonic Scenario for Band is a medley of tunes from South Pacific. After a rather bellicose opening series of chords (it is a war story, after all), there is a short introduction with brief references to “Bali Hai,” “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Dites-moi.” There is a more extended rendering of the following songs: “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Bali Hai,” “Younger than Springtime,” “Happy Talk” and “I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right Outta My Hair.” Concluding the first half of the program features a performance by two Masterworks Musicians, Arturo Osorio on flute and Heather Woitena on harp. The talented duet will perform “Reverie” by Claude Debussy. To open the second half of the program, any veterans in the audience will be recognized as the band performs “To Reap the Blessings of Freedom.” The title was taken from Thomas Paine’s “The American Crisis” written in September 1777. This medley of the hymns of the Armed services is a tribute to all Armed Service men and women both past and present. The Navy's “Father Strong to Save” leads to the Coast Guard hymn, “Eternal Father Lord Of Hosts.” Next comes “Lord, Guide and Guard the Men Who Fly” (Air Force), followed by “From the Halls of Montezuma” and “God of Our Fathers” representing the Marines and the Army, respectively. Becker encourages any World War II veterans in the area to try to attend program and be recognized. A special reserved area will be provided for those veterans and their families. The next selection, titled “The Greatest Generation,” will be the highlight of the concert, according to the press release. Written for narrator and band, “The Greatest Generation” was inspired by Tom Brokaw’s eloquent testament to the World War II generation. The music sets the background for a reading of four soldiers’ letters that highlight the emotion of those difficult times and the victorious struggle to preserve our freedom. The narration of the letters will be enhanced by a video also playing while the narrators Larry Peppel, Ken Locke, David Haines, Luke Becknell and Ron Henry read these letters. To lighten up the evening, Becker thought it was only appropriate to include some music from the big band “swing era,” which became popular during the World War II period. Becker stated there’s “nothing better than the music of Glenn Miller.” Miller was the best-selling recording artist from 1939 to 1943, leading one of the best known big bands. Miller's recordings include “In the Mood,” “Moonlight Serenade,” “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” “A String of Pearls,” “At Last,” “(I've Got a Gal In) Kalamazoo,” “American Patrol,” “Tuxedo Junction,” “Elmer’s Tune” and “Little Brown Jug.” While he was traveling to entertain U.S. troops in France during World War II, Miller's aircraft disappeared in bad weather over the English Channel. The press release states, “There’s no better way to conclude this celebration of the end of World War II than performing a March by John Philip Sousa, titled ‘Hands Across the Sea.’”
