―James Curnow (b. 1943)
One of the Concord Band’s many commissions, Five Concord Diversions
was written in 1987 by James Curnow in commemoration of William Toland’s 25th
year as Music Director of the Concord Band. Curnow chose to score the
brass quintet with homogeneous and heterogeneous groupings of the
band. The outer movements of this work feature brass quintet and the
tutti ensemble, while the inner three movements feature the brass quintet
paired with woodwinds, percussion, and brass respectively. Tonight’s
performance comes 25 years, almost to the day, after the première performance,
held in the Sentry Center Auditorium in Concord on March 7,
1987, with the composer conducting the Concord Band and the Back Bay
Brass Quintet. The composer’s inscription found on the inside cover of
the manuscript score reads “For the outstanding preparation of, the commissioning
of, and the support of ‘Five Concord Diversions’―Thank
you, this has been an excellent weekend. Congratulations on 25
years―you have a fine organization. Best wishes, Jim.” (Source: JRO)
