Mancini Players Journey Far

The diversity of the Henry Mancini Institute’s summer program was on full display Friday night at UCLA’s Royce Hall. After showcasing the talents of the full orchestra in four previous programs, the spotlight turned to the HMI Big Band and Chamber Orchestra.

The results were as impressive as they have been for the larger ensemble. Equally important, they demonstrated the range of musical experiences that are being made available to the 80-plus musicians from 11 countries who are in residence for the month at HMI.

First up on the program was the HMI Big Band, supplemented by a good-sized woodwind section. The selections chosen by conductor Justin DiCioccio opened with settings of themes by Borodin and Debussy, with a sprightly set of variations on “London Bridge” thrown in for good measure. The arrangements were by Sammy Nestico, one of the most widely published orchestrators of educational music, and the charts challenged the players to deal with the sort of entertaining, light classical material they can expect to encounter in their careers as professionals and teachers.

Bill Kirchner, a composer in residence, provided “Jumpin’ Jak,” a piece spiced with a stronger jazz feeling and a solid potential for jazz-rock swinging. Once again, the young players came through impressively, responding well to Kirchner’s rhythmic lines. They finished the set by journeying into yet another stylistic area via a tribute to Tito Puente, performing “Para Los Rumberos” and “Oye Como Va.”

The program’s second half opened with Peter Boyer conducting the HMI Chamber Orchestra in his own spirited “Apollo” from “Three Olympians.” The larger part of the set, however, was devoted to a performance of “Spring” and “Summer” from Mark O’Connor’s “American Seasons,” with the composer playing the violin solo. The piece, with its complex shifts of meter, idiomatic phrases and occasional bursts of sharp dissonance, was one of the most demanding works placed before the HMI musicians this season. And, once again--led superbly by Charles Floyd--they came through, perfectly supporting O’Connor’s stylish adaptation of American fiddle music within a classical setting.