The Fort Wayne Philharmonic resumed its 2025-26 Masterworks concerts on Saturday at Purdue Fort Wayne with an all-American program featuring works by Joan Tower, George S. Clinton, and Ferde Grofe. Music director Andrew Constantine (who was seated as he conducted) led the orchestra in a special program honoring the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The concert began with an orchestral showpiece, “Tambor,” by Joan Tower. This work, which highlights the percussion section, was composed between September 1997 and February 1998. It was premiered on May 7, 1998, by Mariss Jansons and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Tower said she gave the percussionists three functions: to underscore different timbres and rhythms of other parts of the orchestra, to provide counterpoint, and to serve as soloists.
“Tambor,” which means “Drum” in Spanish, started with strong strings accented by percussion. It was very dramatic, animated, and intense. There was an ominous and menacing quality to the music. The Philharmonic violins were quite impressive in this performance with strong contributions from the winds and brass. The cellos took over at one point in a very poignant and tragic tune in which the violins and violas joined them.
A highlight of the piece was a moving duet between concertmaster Violetta Todorova and principal cellist Andre Gaskins. Soon, the strings dominated the music, followed by percussion and winds in brilliant and colorful themes. The music became more intense as if to depict a frantic chase that was quite dazzling and stunning. The percussionists then performed splendidly by themselves for a time until the strings returned. There seemed to be references to the ancient “Dies Irae” Latin chant as the music built to a feverish pitch.
George S. Clinton’s “The Rose of Sonora” is essentially a violin concerto inspired by American western films. Composed in 2019, it is structured in five scenes and is set in Arizona in 1893. The soloist for the Philharmonic’s performance was Holly Mulcahy, for whom the concerto was written. The red-haired musician wore a full-length silver, brocaded gown. Some of the Philharmonic Chorus provided wordless tunes throughout the score. Clinton is primarily a film composer, so the style and structure of this work is “natural” for him. The composer served as narrator, introducing each of the five scenes.
Scene 1, “Escape,” depicted Rose riding into a town, where she overpowered a jail guard and helped Jed escape. She had gold in the horses’ saddlebacks that they and their gang had taken. There was a very lyrical and virtuoso violin solo with some percussion; soon the strings joined them, followed by the rest of the orchestra. The music became more animated.
In Scene 2, “Love and Freedom,” Rose and Jed went to a mountain hideout, where they had some time together. The violin played a beautiful song. The strings and brass provided very moving accompaniment.
In Scene 3, “Ambush,” the members of their gang attacked. Jed was fatally wounded and Rose was left for dead. The men left with the gold. Here the music was very menacing and frightening with mostly strings creating the growing tension and uncertainty. The music became very suspenseful. The violin solos were especially dazzling and strong.
In Scene 4, “Death and Healing,” Rose’s physical pain was exceeded ty the loss of Jed. There was a sad and touching harp solo, then the strings and winds added to the anguish at the tragic turn of events. This was very much in the late romantic tradition of western films.
In Scene 5, “Revenge,” Rose buried Jed, then placed a single rose near his grave. She pursued the gang, killed all of them. She took the gold and rode away. The violin solo was very moving and intricate. The orchestra joined and there was a classic pursuit. The music built to a very exciting climax. Although the performance was strictly aural, one felt they had watched a classic film.
The most famous composition by composer and arranger Ferde Grofe is his five-movement “Grand Canyon Suite,” which was written between 1929 and 1931. The suite was premiered in Chicago on November 22, 1931, by Paul Whiteman and his orchestra, for whom Grofe served as an arranger. It is a vivid musical picture of the scenic Grand Canyon of northern Arizona.
There are five movements, each of which depicts a different aspect of the canyon. “Sunrise” began quietly and serenely and gradually grew, as if more and more details of the rock formations were revealed. It was a good example of Grofe’s tone painting, and it was played with great feeling and precision.
“Painted Desert” has a mysterious and enchanting quality, as the music brilliantly depicted features of the surrounding desert. This led to the beloved “On The Trail,” in which Grofe recreated a journey by mule to the bottom of the canyon. Todorova had memorable and delightful solos as her violin reproduced the sounds of a complaining mule.
“Sunset” was essentially a “summing up” of the canyon as it presented highlights of the earlier music. This led to the final, quite spectacular “Cloudburst,” which actually was a picture of an amazing thunderstorm. The strings, piano, percussion, and a wind machine are used imaginatively in depicting the wind, lightning, thunder, and cascading rain. Overall, the suite, which is Grofe’s most popular composition, was given an excellent performance by the Philharmonic musicians, capably led by Constantine.