A night of musical wonder was in store for everyone in the Fullerton College Recital Hall on Monday, Nov. 16. As the audience settled into their seats, musicians were ready with their instruments finely tuned, patiently awaiting for the moment to finally show off all their hard work. The air that night was definitely filled with nothing but beautiful sounds of woodwinds.
The performance consisted of three groups directed by David Lopez: a Clarinet Trio, the Woodwind Ensemble and a Faculty Wind Quintet.
The Clarinet Trio started the show off in a light mood with Joseph Hayden’s short and sweet “Allegro.” Lead by Lopez’s clarinet stylings, the group played earning a round of applause by the audience.
The trio moved into a much slower and melodic sound with the piece, “Adagio Sostenuto” by Kaspar Kummer, which felt almost like a lullaby. The clarinetists slowly built up the sound to curl it off in a wonderful harmony, and there wasn’t a moment when the three weren’t in sync with each other.
The show continued with the Wind Ensemble. Lopez, his baton poised in the air, readied the group of eight musicians before starting into a sweet tune featuring flutes and clarinets leading the melody in another piece by Hayden, “Minuetto and Trio”.
“It’s been a great semester,” said Lopez.
He revealed that the ensemble has only been practicing one day a week since August. But despite the long days of classes and work, he says his students were still able to come in and focus every week.
The group’s second song, “Andante Grazioso” by August Klughardt, brought a lazy Sunday morning feel to the hall with the rich baritone saxophone stylings of Jimena Orozco, which was accompanied by the higher woodwinds’ dance-like melody.
“We’ve been preparing for this concert since the semester began,” Orozco said. The saxophone player revealed that she has been practicing a lot on her own, as well as during the rehearsals with the ensemble. “If everyone has their parts down, it’s going to come together nicely.”
The third and final group of the evening was the Faculty Wind Quintet, where the instructors presented everyone with an extraordinary performance.
Despite their very busy schedules, the faculty members made their part of the show happen.
“It was not always easy to do so, but I’m really glad we did it” said Lopez.
The quintet’s first piece, “Aires Tropicales,” consisted of four movements. They first brought a very morning, day-break sound with Lopez’s gentle clarinet melody, then the mood soon changed into a salsa-like rhythm with flautist Patti Maggs flowing between the flute and piccolo, which really showcased her talent.
What really got the audience’s attention was the quintet’s foot stomping beat near the end of the arrangement. This resulted in a cheerful applause from the crowd.
The group ended the night on a high note with their rendition of the jazzy piece “I Got Rhythm” by George Gershwin. The overall sound of this piece was very bright and dance-like. Audience member Lindy Huynh described the final song as “having a very Disneyland-like appeal.”
“It was like walking down Main Street,” noted Huynh, who went on to say that it was her favorite part out of the whole performance.
Overall, the woodwind ensembles seemed to have a successful performance, which reflected their hard work and dedication to music.
