The Wheaton Municipal Band highlights Leonard Bernstein's music

Bruce Moss, music director of the Wheaton Municipal Band, programmed an evening with some of Bernstein's best -known works on Thursday, July 17th in downtown Wheaton.

Leonard Bernstein, the composer, conductor, humanitarian and one of the most popular contemporary composers, conjures up pictures of “West Side Story” and the New York Philharmonic.

Bruce Moss, music director of the Wheaton Municipal Band, has programmed an evening with some of the better -known works by Bernstein on Thursday, July 17th, at 7:30 p.m. in the downtown of Wheaton.

Due to the level of difficulty, concert straps often shy away from playing amber. But the Wheaton Municipal Band with its outstanding musicians can manage the challenge, although the musicians receive only one rehearsal before the performance.

The program contains Bernstein's “Slava!” Suite of “on the Waterfront” and music from “West Side Story”. “Slava!” It was written after Bernstein met Rostropovich on a New York Philharmonic tour to Russia Cellist Mstislav “Slava”. The piece begins with a Vaudevill melody, but quickly develops in Bernstein's high energy -rhythmic complexity.

“Am Waterfront” was Bernstein's only film score, written for the 1954 film Marlon Brando. The music is full of soulful, jazzy saxophone and clarinet functions and is a challenge to play.

The evening concert shows two soloists of the Wheaton band. Whitney Boden had to wait a week to perform her flute -solo “poem” because the concert of last week was rained.

Bowden is in her fourth season with the Wheaton Municipal Band.

Handle '”Poem” is a flute concert with a movement has the harmonious and illusive feeling of Claude Debussys “in the morning for the afternoon of a faun”.

The work is accompanied by a smaller segment of the band. Walter Grabner is the other soloist who lists the first movement of “Jazz Concerto” Jerry Lacke on bass clarinet. Bass clarinet is not often heard as a solo instrument, so this is a rare opportunity. Grabner performed as the main clearing of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. He is also a well-known clarinet piece of craftsman and has used his mouthpieces from many well-known clariners all over the world.

Miss this special concert on Thursday, July 17th, at 7:30 p.m. in the memorial park in downtown Wheaton. Come early to secure yourself on the lawn or in the stadium seats. For more information, see the band's website at www.wheatonicipalband.org.