Marine Barracks Washington DC -- “The President’s Own” will conclude its Fall Chamber Music Series with a free performance at 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 29 at the John Philip Sousa Band Hall in southeast Washington, D.C. No tickets are required. It will also be streamed live at www.marineband.marines.mil and www.youtube.com/usmarineband.
Violin player Gunnery Sgt. Erika Sato coordinated and programmed the performance, which includes Eric Ewazen’s A Western Fanfare, selections from Aaron Copland’s Twelve Poems of Emily Dickinson, Jarryd Elias’ Ascension for Marimba Duet and Electronics, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat, Opus 20.
“For the last concert of the fall chamber series, I wanted to show off the different sections of the Marine Band, diving deeply into their talents and featuring them in a new light,” Sato said. “A brass quintet performing a fanfare kicks things off but Ewazen’s majestic A Western Fanfare is one that might be new to our audience. Copland’s Twelve Poems are quietly elegant and profound, and Elias’ Ascension is very new and of the moment and pairs recorded sounds with acoustic instruments, ending the first half in epic fashion.”
Sato continued, “For the second half, Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat brings us back to a classical setting. The Septet is easy to love and was a piece that was so popular for its time that Beethoven came to resent it because he felt it overshadowed his other more serious works. In six movements it is an exuberant, playful, light hearted adventure. There are moments throughout that range from a rollicking escapade through the woods in the first and last movements, to friendly competition between the instruments in the Minuet, Scherzo, and Theme and Variations movements.”
“The second movement, Adagio, is what gives the piece its substance and what I like most about it is actually the way the bass line is featured at times; popping out through the texture in a quirky but still elegant way. It anchors the gorgeous resplendent lines that the violin and clarinet get to trade off. The whole piece has points that offer each instrument moments to shine but there is something unexpected and pleasing about that for me in particular.”
The Marine Barracks Annex is located at 7th & K Streets in southeast Washington, D.C. Free parking is available under the overpass on 7th Street. Patrons should have identification available for possible security checks at the gate.
Complete program and notes
Directions and parking
Watch the live stream