USU Wind Orchestra takes on ‘Godzilla’ this weekend
A legendary gigantic lizard terrifies the glitzy city of Las Vegas, Nev., destroying everything in its path. The only thing that can stop it is an army of fighting Elvises with the help of the Luxor Hotel Sphinx and pirate ships from Treasure Island.
“Godzilla Eats Las Vegas,” the featured piece in this Friday’s combined concert with the USU Wind Orchestra and Symphonic Band at the Kent Concert Hall, is not a story usually told by classical and band music. However, audiences often don’t know what exactly to expect from band music, said Thomas Rohrer, director of bands at USU and conductor of the Wind Orchestra.
Many people think of marches and marching bands when they think of band music, Rohrer said. However, because band music is a relatively new genre of classical music, almost all of its music has been written since the 1940s. It is “very new and fresh with different kinds of sounds,” he said.
Orchestral music generally has string instruments at the core of the sound with wind instruments adding color to the music, Rohrer said. In contrast, band music has the orchestral color instruments (like flutes and brass instruments) at the core of its sound with percussion also playing a much more prominent role.
Modern composer Eric Whitacre’s “Godzilla Eats Las Vegas” is a prime example of the novel and different kinds of sounds possible with band music. Part music, part theater, it tells the story of Godzilla attacking Sin City both through vivid music as well some accompanying theatrics, which Nicholas Morrison, conductor of the Symphonic Band, said will surprise audiences and even band members throughout the concert
The bizarreness of the story combined with the theatricality of the piece makes “Godzilla” an “interactive production more than just musical experience,” said Craig Thompson, assistant to composer Eric Whitacre. He added that some ensembles have even gone so far as to have an actual army of Elvis dancers dancing in the aisles with the audience during the show.
The music is designed to tell Godzilla’s story with as little subtlety as possible. It’s an amalgam of musical styles and genres ranging from mariachi to cabaret to lounge jazz. This mix of music is designed to mirror the variety of style and themes of Vegas itself, Thompson said, where one can walk down the sidewalk from Venice to Paris, and then cross the street to New York City.
“There’s something that someone from any musical background will enjoy,” Rohrer said. Classical aficionados may enjoy the Stravinsky references in “Godzilla” while other audiences may enjoy the portion of the “Jaws” theme or Elvis’ music in the piece.
Thompson said audiences generally are very receptive to “Godzilla” and that Whitacre regularly gets e-mails from audiences and performers who enjoy the piece.
The piece’s style represents something fun and different for the bands to play, and USU band members also report enjoying the piece. Greg Wendel, a senior music education major, said it’s not normal to be encouraged to yell “Godzilla” and play such a range of fun music in a piece.
Although “Godzilla” is the closing number and the name of the concert, the Wind Orchestra and Symphonic Band will play a number of other songs as well, both together and separately.
This concert marks the one joint concert of the year with the Symphonic Band, composed of about 75 mostly non-music majors, and Wind Orchestra, made up of 45 largely music-major musicians who audition to get into the band.