I've been tired all day, but for some reason I was wide awake, rapt with attention during tonight's concert. There was no doubt, either, as the St. Olaf Band performed several songs I had never heard, demonstrated excellent balance of tone, precision, and expression. It was quite amazing what kind of songs could be borne from a group of instruments not bearing strings of any kind. Usually when I think of symphonies, the string section comes to mind first, followed by the brass, then the woodwinds, then percussion and anything else that a particular composer may call for. With the absence of such strings, there had to be a section from which a lyrical calm could emerge, a continuous flow of sound that would reach my ears just as quickly at any dynamic. The clarinets provided it. So did the saxophones, french horns, and even the harp. And my friend Jostein Reiners, during his solo saxophone piece, reminded me of the days when I would hear my dad play all the time. It's not meant to make a comparison of any sort, but to bring back memories of what I believed was good music or tone, and it is just that which exemplifies the musical power of the St. Olaf Band.
I have 8:00 A.M classes every day, plus the Music History class from purgatory where I have to wait a million years before parole. I wouldn't say it's the Music History class from hell, as I've only had one class, but I've heard scary reviews from fellow students about it, and I'm just beginning to see how good and bad it can be.
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