2023-09-11 10:52:43
In front of an almost sold-out town hall, the large wind orchestra of the music school of the city of Gladbeck celebrated its 50th anniversary with an anniversary concert. Under the motto COLORFUL, the audience experienced the diversity of the wind orchestra last Saturday. With a version of the Flippers song “40 Years of the Flippers” rewritten for the orchestra, the orchestra celebrated itself and its own audience, who honored the performance at the end of the concert with a standing ovation and thunderous applause.
The beginning of the concert started with a festive, British concert march where one might have imagined the entry of a royal family – in Gladbeck! After introductory welcome words from music school director and orchestra leader Rolf Hilgers, due to Mayor Bettina Weist’s absence due to appointments, deputy mayor Norbert Dyhringer was welcomed. In their speeches, both emphasized the importance of the wind orchestra for Gladbeck’s cultural landscape.
Regardless of whether it is the Appeltatenfest, outdoor concerts in the run-up to Christmas or the traditional tower blowing on December 23rd: a festival without a performance by the large wind orchestra is unthinkable in Gladbeck. Many other cities in the Ruhr area would be happy if they had an orchestra like the one in Gladbeck, says Norbert Dyhringer. The community that Rolf Hilgers has grown over the years and is characterized by numerous friendships was evident in the harmonious interaction and sound throughout the entire concert.
Overture, ballet and original composition: musical diversity
The overture to Jacques Offenbach’s operetta Pariser Leben was followed by Carioca, a solo work for tuba and orchestra. 14-year-old Linus Pfister, winner of this year’s national youth music competition, showed what musical, almost semi-professional quality the hobby orchestra has. Rhythmically complicated, he brought everything out of himself and his tuba, accompanied by a restrained wind orchestra. This solo work symbolizes the depth of performance of the orchestra and the entire music school.
As in previous years, ballerinas from the music school ballet department performed once more. At Fanfare & Dance from Tschaikovy’s Swan Lake, the five ballerinas Natalie Berendes, Lina-Marie Heinen, Ina-Marie Jankowski, Mariebelle Spieckermann and Annemarie Stiller showed their skills. Together with prima ballerina and head of the ballet department, Valentina Spadoni, Maribelle Spieckermann developed a choreography especially for the concert.
At the end of the first part of the program, the large wind orchestra took the listeners to the USA. In the original composition Virginia, the Dutch composer Jacob de Haan set the eventful history of the American state of Virginia to music. In a game length of over eight minutes with many changes in rhythm, time, key and tempi, the orchestra captivated everyone.
Poppy sounds, film music and singing
After a break, things continued in a modern way: The hit Let me entertain you sung by Robbie Williams was on the music stands – actually a motto of the entire performance, which was staged by the lighting technology of the city hall technicians. After a march, the classical sounds and the original composition in the first section as well as the pop song following the break, the film music genre might of course not be missed: a selection of melodies from the Hollywood blockbuster Robin Hood from 1991 (composer: Michael Kamen) and the work The musicians brought It Had Better Be Tonight, from the film The Pink Panther, to the stage with a lot of esprit and a modern sound. The latter piece was written by Henry Mancini and became popular thanks to Michael Bublé’s interpretation.
Between these two titles, Cheyenne Bloch, Emily Jollberg and Annika Studenski impressed with a heartfelt singing part on I dreamed a Dream from the French musical Les Miserables. Well prepared by singing teacher Maren Keßler-Schwarz, they took on the singing voice of the musical protagonist Fantine. With a lot of emotion, enormous lyrical confidence and precise intonation, the young women sang their way into the hearts of the audience – and orchestra.
Furious finale captivates everyone
The anniversary concert started the same way it ended: with a march. But this one was strange, almost furious. Because what the almost 50 wind players and drummers did from Julius Fucik’s Florentine March, or the arrangement by the Austrian wind septet Mnozil Brass, is best described by these adjectives. Greek sytaki sounds, numerous acting interludes in the different registers – including conductor Rolf Hilgers, samba rhythms with a dance performance by two transverse flutists, a tenor horn solo and a brilliant trio that reached the highest pitches and dynamics led to storms of enthusiasm in the Stadthalle hall.
The audience loudly demanded encores
As a result, the orchestra didn’t have to wait long for an encore. During the first encore, Drums-A-Plenty, even the invited former orchestra members came on stage. They either played the instrument they had learned or played a percussion instrument. Because in this fast work the percussion section was in the foreground, which caused laughter and amazement in many (intentional) solo passages.
The title mentioned at the beginning, 40 Years of the Flippers, or in this case “50 Years of the Orchestra”, provided the celebrated conclusion to a varied and musically demanding program. The choice of title, described by the leading moderator Simon Heidebroek, who is also a flugelhorn player, once once more demonstrated the solidarity of all orchestra members. The idea for this final piece came regarding by chance during a group karaoke evening during a rehearsal weekend in Xanten. Nicole Hilgers promptly rewritten the text for the orchestra and then performed it together with Frauke El Meshai and Hanna Sommerfeld – much to everyone’s delight! So all we can say is: Thank you for 50 years of the orchestra and a varied, musically high-quality concert with numerous highlights.
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