By JESSICA NEU
With Heinz Hall perfectly adorned with its traditional Christmas decorations and a host of brass instruments meticulously set on the proscenium in front of the closed stage curtain, the Holiday Brass Spectacular was ready to begin. All twelve musicians entered stage right to start the show, immediately took their seats, and dove into Tchaikovsky’s “Trepak,” the classic song made famous from The Nutcracker, and also parodied by legendary composer John Williams for the song “Holiday Flight” from Home Alone.
So, whether “Trepak‘s” melody has you dreaming of the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy or makes you want to sprint through an airport, this familiar piece was the perfect introduction to the Holiday Brass Spectacular.
Each of the twelve musicians is a distinguished member of the symphony community. While many of the musicians are a part of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, several were visiting musicians from nearby companies such as the Pittsburgh Opera. The musicians were introduced to the audience, adding a warm, human element to the entire performance. These details allowed audiences to connect with the musicians on a personal level, which was especially impactful as the pieces played had such a rich and meaningful history.
The twelve accomplished musicians included Micah Wilkinson (trumpet), Conrad Jones (trumpet), Neal Berntsen (trumpet), Chad Winkler (trumpet), William Caballero (horn), Doug Rosenthal (trombone), John Sebastian Vera (trombone), James Nova (trombone), Jeffrey Dee (bass trombone), Craig Knox (tuba), James Benoit (timpani and percussion), and David Glover (percussion). Together, they unite to deliver a holiday performance filled with extraordinary talent, holiday cheer, and musical beauty.
After breezing elegantly through the second number, “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” the musicians playfully searched for a maestro to lead them through the third and more challenging piece, “Ancient Plainsong: Veni, Veni, Emmanuel.” This piece dates back to the 800s and was traditionally sung by monks in the echoic chambers of the monasteries. When a maestro was unavailable, they took volunteers from the audience and called up a gentleman seated in the front row to lead the ensemble. The volunteer introduced himself as Greg and led the brass musicians through the beautiful piece. Greg appeared to be more than a novice conductor, and as we learned at the end of the song, he was none other than composer Gregory Pascuzzi, who arranged the piece he volunteered to conduct. A Pittsburgh native, Pascuzzi explained the piece’s historical significance and gave a poignant speech about the importance of music education and music programming in public schools.
Several other musicians took turns introducing songs and providing personal anecdotes about what led them to become professional musicians. While introducing his arrangement for “O Magnum Mysterium,” Chad Winkler reminisced about his undergrad music professor, Mr. Christensen, from WVU. Mr. Christensen was the first person to tell Winkler that he would one day conduct a brass ensemble. Winkler dedicated the song to the memory of Mr. Christensen before conducting the ensemble in the piece based on the centuries-old Latin text. Winkler described “O Magnum Mysterium” as a quiet song with profound inner joy performed in cathedrals and concert halls worldwide but transports listeners to that sacred moment in Bethlehem.
Other highlights from the joyous brass ensemble included Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Overture to Hansel & Gretel,” “Merry Christmas” from Home Alone, and the endearing “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” before concluding with the apropos “Something for Everyone!” The performance’s second half featured more percussion-heavy numbers allowing Benoit and Glover to shine. Pascuzzi’s work was featured again with the delightful “Hanukkah in da ‘burgh.”
The ensemble as a whole cohesively performed their way through a diverse but engaging set that perfectly set the tone for the week leading up to Christmas. Each instrument’s triumphant sounds leaped off the stage and into the audience’s hearts for a wonderful evening and holiday season.
DETAILS
Pittsburgh Symphony’s Holiday Brass Spectacular had one performance this season on Tuesday, December 17th, 2024.
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