PULLMAN, Wash. – Orchestral color will be explored in a free, public concert by the Washington State University Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, in Bryan Hall.

 

Under the direction of Matthew Aubin, the concert will include trumpet professor David Turnbull performing Lowell Liebermann’s "Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra.” Liebermann recently visited Pullman for his residency with the WSU Festival of Contemporary Art Music.  

 

His concerto not only features the trumpet’s normal tone, but also employs varied muted effects used to change the timbre of the instrument. In addition, it highlights a large orchestra with exotic instruments such as the bass clarinet, contrabassoon, celesta and marimba.

 

The second half of the program will include a seldom heard short overture by the French composer Leo Delibes. The work juxtaposes majestic full orchestra tutti sections with transparent and light chamber music elements. 

 

This prelude from the ballet "Sylvia” often is performed in a version Delibes compiled into a suite after the ballet premiered. The original prelude is seldom performed because the music is hard to come by.  But WSU was able to obtain a copy of the original Paris Opera Ballet parts.

 

The concert will finish with a work by the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. "Finlandia” has become so important to the Finnish people that many different patriotic texts have been written to accompany the hymn heard in the last half of the work. Although this is an early work by Sibelius, his trademark use of low sounds and dark orchestral color is ever present.