I love tubas. New Jersey Wind Symphony waiting for the conductor to arrive.  By Paul Goldfinger © 7/4/19 Ocean Grove. Click to enlarge these two photos.

The percussion section chatting before the concert. Once the conductor got it all going, they were in perfect synchrony. Blogfinger.net .Paul Goldfinger photo ©   7/4/19   Ocean Grove

By Paul Goldfinger, editor.    Top video by Eileen Goldfinger.

The concert on Thursday night at the Great Auditorium was, as expected, superb.  Those of us who are familiar with Dr. Gordon Turk’s Summer Stars Series will not be surprised, and those of us who attended were provided a musical treat on a hot July 4 evening in Ocean Grove.

The program tonight was presented by a marvelous and famous orchestra called the New Jersey Wind Symphony. They have been together for about 35 years and counting.  The ensemble is a very talented and versatile organization of about 40 pieces  and they excelled at this challenging concert as they performed a wide array of selections.

The group consists of wind instruments including woodwinds and brass except, of course, for the amazing  team of percussionists, requiring no wind at all, including , if I may, the harpist with a delicate but meaningful touch.

There were about six of them, and they brought ease and sensitivity to their instruments which included tympani, snare, bass, chimes, delicate bells , claves, maracas, and probably others.  At times they rose to a tide of big rhythms and complexity, enough to raise all ships in the Auditorium.

The wonderful brass section can play quietly and then suddenly they can rock the room and knock your socks off at the same time.

And, during two numbers which required piccolo’s, 6 of them stood at once, turned to the audience in two rows of three and performed thrillingly in unison, especially during the famous piccolo part of the” Stars and Stripes Forever.”  It’s hard to believe that six piccolos could make thrilling music, but they did.

And not to forget the heart and soul of it all–the woodwinds: clarinets, flutes, oboes, saxophones, and bassoons.

This talented Symphony was ready and able to deliver on a wide variety of material.  They celebrated Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday with an emotional  selection of music from West Side Story.  (see Eileen’s video above.)

“A Festival Prelude on a National Air  (Star Spangled Banner)”  brought the audience to its feet to sing along in a wonderful way.

Other noteworthy choices included the “Overture La Belle Helene,” a terrific piece by Jacques Offenbach whose 18th century composition traveled through time to entertain us.

The conductor, Dr. Chris Wilhelm, was sweating so much during the show, that some of us wondered if he would survive the performance.  But he did, in style.

The guest trumpeter Phil Smith of Ocean Grove and the World, joined two other trumpet players for an amazing version of the trumpet classic “Bugler’s Holiday” with its mile-a-minute triple tonguing.  (That’s something you don’t try on a first date.)

And Phil also soloed on Gershwin’s “Someone to Watch Over Me,” as his gorgeous tone floated around and resonated with the acoustics of the Great Auditorium.  We do need music such as this to appreciate why this room gets an adjective “Great.”

And then there was a raucous piece strangely called “Polka and Fugue from ‘Schwanda the Bagpiper’ with Gordon Turk emulating the Czech bagpipes during his solo.  Did you ever Schwanda what a Czech bagpipe sounds like?   Did you ever polka and fugue at the same time?  This group can.

Another curious piece was a “Fantasy on Salve Regina.”  To me the title sounds like a dermatologic obsession about someone’s most sensitive body part.  The “Fantasy” was the most titillating item on the menu tonight.

If only the CMA could find a way to bring more people in for these Summer Stars events.  There will be more this season. Go to Oceangrove.org.

Again, these concerts are incredible bargains considering the musicianship of the performers who play here.  Go see all of them this summer.