On Saturday, February 19, at 3:00 p.m., the Wimberley Community Center will be the venue for a lively, free concert by the Hill Country Community Band. The playlist features a sound spectrum of polkas and fugues composed by John Philip Sousa, Sergei Rachmaninov, Henry Mancini, Jaromir Weinberger, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Johann Strauss. A preview perusal of the concert’s program revealed the following information about the chosen compositions:
Pie in the Face Polka,” by Henry Mancini, arranged by Johnnie Vinson, might be the most familiar of the selections. The song was made famous as part of the soundtrack from the classic movie, The Great Race, starring Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Natalie Wood. It’s uproarious tone is well suited for the pie fight scene. The HCCB clarinet section takes center stage in this piece.
The HCCB percussionists, Dan Stephens and Nathan Deans, and Mike Thielen on timpani, play prominently on “Thunder and Lightning”, also known as “Unter Donner und Blitz” (Polka Schnell), by Johann Strauss. This arrangement by Larry Daehn highlights Bass drum, timpani rolls, cymbal clashes, and “flashing woodwinds” to simulate thunder and give the illusion of lightning.
