The Wesleyan Wind Ensemble performed a repertoire of modern movie soundtracks at Crowell Concert Hall last Tuesday. The concert, entitled “WesWinds Goes to the Movies,” showcased the energy and talent of the ensemble, who performed the pieces in all their grandeur.
The performance opened with the lively “Raider’s March” by John Williams, the iconic score from the Indiana Jones trilogy. Then came selections from Howard Shore’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” score. The selection sampled musical moments from the entire movie, ranging from tense chase music to nostalgic melodies. The Latin-influenced sounds of “The Legend of Zorro” followed afterwards.
Before the ensemble played highlights from the 2005 re-make of “King Kong,” director Peter Hadley gave a brief disclaimer.
“We wanted to have someone jump out in a gorilla suit, but we just couldn’t stretch the budget,” Hadley said. “So imagine a really big one.”
Music from “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” followed, and the night ended with a medley of music from “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.”
When asked where the idea for the concert came from, Hadley referenced some common consensus amongst his ensemble.
“It just came up,” Hadley said. “People said we should play ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ or ‘Lord of The Rings.’”
Both Hadley and members of the orchestra seemed happy with the results after the concert had concluded.
“They really have come a long way since the beginning of the semester,” Hadley said.
“I thought it [the concert] went very well,” said Zach Pastore ’10, a bass clarinet player in the ensemble.
The wind ensemble (WesWinds for short) includes a range of musicians, from Wesleyan students to community members and high school students.
Leave a Reply