Crane Concert Band Presents Alfred Reed's 'Othello' at Nov. 19 Performance

SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music Presents Crane Concert Band Performance, Including Tragic Work, on Nov. 19

POTSDAM, NY (10/31/2014)(readMedia)-- SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music will present a concert featuring the Crane Concert Band under the direction of Dr. James Madeja on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in the Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall.

The centerpiece of the concert is Alfred Reed's powerful musical synthesis of the Shakespearean tragedy, "Othello." During his years as a member of the music composition faculty at the University of Miami, Reed developed a close relationship with Delmar Solem. Solem invited Reed to compose incidental music for productions of two Shakespeare plays, "The Tempest" and "Othello."

Following the production of "Othello," Reed synthesized the musical material and scored the work for wind band. Using 24 individual segments of music from the original theatre production, Reed fashioned the work into a five-movement symphonic portrait, using lines from the play as subtitles to the movements to assist the listener in following the plot of the musical work.

The performance will also include the Sinfonia in B-flat Minor by Amilcare Ponchielli, "Prelude, Siciliano and Rondo" by Malcolm Arnold, "Incantation and Dance" by John Barnes Chance, "Third Suite" by Robert Jager and "Suspiros de España" by Antonio Álvarez Alonso.

This event is free, and the public is invited to attend.

This concert will be broadcast live on the SUNY Potsdam website at the performance time. To view the program and see other upcoming streaming performances, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/Crane/streaming.

For more information about SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music, please visit www.potsdam.edu/crane.

Founded in 1886, SUNY Potsdam's Crane School of Music has a long legacy of excellence in music education and performance. Life at Crane includes an incredible array of more than 300 recitals, lectures and concerts presented by faculty, students and guests each year. The Crane School of Music is the State University of New York's only All-Steinway institution.

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