WesWinds performs music by Middletown native, Eli Fieldsteel

The Wesleyan wind ensemble, WesWinds, performed an adventuresome set of music on Tuesday night in Crowell Hall. At the center of the program were two pieces by Middletown High School class of 2004 alum, Eli Fieldsteel.  Statements for Wind Symphony and Fantasy for Wind Symphony. Conductor Peter Hadley explained that Statements was composed as an orchestration exercise while Mr. Fieldsteel was a student at Brown. From near the front of the concert hall, the orchestration was energetically dynamic:  the music moved physically across the great Crowell stage, at times sweeping from one group of musicians into neighboring sections, and at other times bouncing from the percussion on one side of the stage over to the horns on the other. 

Mr. Hadley chose two pieces by Frank Ticheli to open the concert.  These pieces, in particular the first one, Fortress, served as outstanding introductions to the Fieldsteel pieces. The concert ended with two pieces by Brian Balmages, work also in a similar style to that of Ticheli and Fieldsteel.

All of the music was written by contemporary composers: Tichelli born in 1958, Balmages in 1975, and Fieldsteel 1986.  However, although the pieces challenged the ear of anybody expecting the usual diet of Sousa and band versions of Rossini, they were readily accessible.  They particularly showcased an outstanding percussion section, in particular Noreen Sit on a variety of xylophones.  Although the audience may not have left with tunes to whistle on the way home, they were quite appreciative of an outstanding performance by a great group of musicians.