Charleston Wind Symphony performs Hammersmith by Gustav Holst Feb 19, 2016

The Charleston Wind Symphony is a band of approximately 70 professional musicians and music educators from the Lowcountry region. The ensemble performs music of all eras and styles, including original works for winds an percussion, transcriptions of other genres, music for chamber winds, and highly acclaimed new music. The mission of the Charleston Wind Symphony is to promote and encourage the performance of wind band music through artistic music making of quality literature.

Program Notes:
Hammersmith is a Prelude and Scherzo, its composition a result of Holst's long familiarity with the Hammersmith metropolitan borough of London, which sits on the Thames River. At the time, 125,000 inhabitants were packed into an area of 3.6 square miles. Holst's fascination with the duality of his surroundings is reflected in his composition. The Prelude (representing the inexorable, "unnoticed and unconcerned" river) is slow and unconcerned, reflecting a duality in its very key: E Major set against F minor. The Scherzo (representing the Cockney street markets and the laughing, bustling crowds) is boisterous, exuberant, and vulgar. The music and mood of the Prelude returns at the end of the composition, bringing us back to the great slow-moving river, passing relentlessly out to sea.

- Nikk Pilato