Faculty artist Phillip Black, professor of tuba, will appear as soloist with the Wichita State University Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14, in the Wichita East High School Auditorium. The program, to be led by Mark Laycock, director of orchestras, will feature music by Wagner, Schubert and Alexander Arutiunian.
Tickets are $7, with discounts available, through the Fine Arts Box Office (978-3233). For information, contact Laycock at (316) 978-6202 or mark.laycock@wichita.edu.
Black, principal tubist of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra and Wichita Brass Quintet, will perform the Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra by Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian. Perhaps best known for his Trumpet Concerto, Arutiunian wrote the Tuba Concerto in 1992 for Roger Bobo, virtuoso tubist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The work is a colorful, thrilling showpiece.
The concert will begin with Siegfried's Death and Funeral Music from “Gotterdammerung,” the final opera in Richard Wagner's monumental Ring cycle, “Der Ring des Nibelungen.” The Ring, which comprises four operas, has been called the longest work in Western music. The sweeping narrative, drawn from mythology and national epics, includes Siegfried, the mortal hero, and his quest for a magical ring forged by the gods.
Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 4 in C Minor (“Tragic”) will close the program. As with his famous “Unfinished” Symphony, the Fourth remained unpublished until some 40 years after the composer’s death. Schubert, completing the work while still a teenager, affixed the nickname for unknown reasons. While the symphony does begin in a somewhat dark mood, the atmosphere quickly lightens, revealing an energetic, vital work.
Phillip Black, a graduate of Ball State University, earned his Master of Music from the University of New Mexico. He formerly was principal tuba with the Flint Symphony Orchestra, Galliard Brass Quintet, New Mexico Symphony and New Mexico Brass Quintet. He has also performed with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. His previous teaching posts include the Flint Institute and University of New Mexico. His commercial recordings with the Galliard Brass Quintet are distributed by the Musical Heritage Society.
The 2010-11 WSU Symphony Orchestra concert season, featuring Hartman Arena appearances with the classic rock band Kansas and Video Games Live, will culminate in a concert May 30 at Carnegie Hall with the WSU Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Mark Laycock holds the Ann Walenta Faculty of Distinction Endowed Professorship. His work as guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator spans 20 states and his appearances with professional ensembles include the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, Wichita Grand Opera and Opera Kansas, as well as orchestras in Slovakia and Canada.