Hot and Saxy features passionate music, saxophone playing

From Cuban dances to circus music, Southeast Missouri State University's Wind Symphony will combine a variety of exciting and passionate music with saxophone playing in its second concert of the season, which is appropriately titled "Hot and Saxy."

The director of bands at Southeast, Dr. Martin Reynolds, said after he categorized the music he thought the wind symphony would enjoy playing, an attention-grabbing program title was chosen next.

"Here's the list [of songs.] All right, now, find different ways to categorize it, and then come up with clever titles to go along with it," Reynolds said. "Hopefully something will make it interesting, where people will go, 'Oh, Hot and Saxy. I wonder what that is.'"

Songs chosen for the program include "Viktor's Tale" by John Williams, which was originally scored as a clarinet solo for the movie "The Terminal" starring Tom Hanks.

New department faculty member Dr. Gabrielle Baffoni will be featured on the clarinet during this piece. Baffoni started teaching clarinet and saxophone at Southeast this year.

Another piece in the program titled "Hell's Gate" will feature three student saxophone soloists. "Hell's Gate" is composed by David Maslanka, who "is one of the really terrific composers right now for wind symphony music," Reynolds said.

The song is inspired by a piece of geography in Montana, where Maslanka lives, called Hell Gate Pass, Reynolds explained.

Members of the Southeast Wind Symphony rehearse for the concert "Hot and Saxy." Photo by Nathan Hamilton

"He also kind of puts that together with, kind of a soul-searching, through a lot of strife, and then ending peacefully at the end," Reynolds said. "I can't even characterize it as a dual-meaning -- it's a multiple-meaning kind of piece. It has lots of little undertones in it that you might find interesting."

Spencer Day is a senior double major in music, focusing on music education and music performance. Day is one of the featured saxophone soloists in "Hell's Gate."

"I assure the audience they will enjoy the certain selection 'Hell's Gate' not only for the aural purposes, but also for the visual purposes as well," Day said.

Other titles in the program include "Nitro" by Frank Ticheli and "Entry of the Gladiators-Thunder of Blazes and March" by Julius Fucik, arranged by Seredy.

All the pieces featured in "Hot and Saxy" are categorized with fire, hot, passion or explosive qualities, or they feature the saxophone, Reynolds said.

"Our concert is entitled 'Hot and Saxy,' probably because my director realizes the potential he has in his good-looking saxophone soloists," Day said. "There is a variety of classical music, from the dark and intense sounds of 'Hell's Gate' to the fun and dance-like music of 'Danzas Cubanas.'"

While putting the pieces in order for the concert, Reynolds said things like endurance of the students playing in the symphony, style and speed of the pieces need to be considered for the listening pleasure of the audience.

"A concert is kind of like a storyline," Reynolds said. "There's lots of ebb and flow in a storyline. You get bits and pieces of the plot here and there. If we played everything and it was all the same style and all the same speed and all the same key ... then it would be boring to listen to after a while."

Reynolds has to find a balance of what is good for the audience to hear, and what is good for the students to play. The variety of music is one of the biggest factors to consider when programming a concert, Reynolds said.

"Different music, of course, evokes different moods, different reactions. Sometimes excitement, sometimes sadness, sometimes majesty, you know all those things," Reynolds said. "And I think it's kind of the juxtaposition of all those that kind of make a concert interesting to listen to."

The Southeast Wind Symphony will perform "Hot and Saxy" at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 6 in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall. Pre-concert music featuring student saxophone players will take place at 7 p.m. in the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall, too. Tickets are $10 or $3 with a student ID and can be purchased at the River Campus box office.