The Final Cut – Booklet

This album contains a selection of music for wind band by Swiss
composer Stephan Hodel.
Conducted by Adrian Schneider and performed by Dunshan Symphonic
Wind Orchestra, the music was featured during the concert In the
Head of a Composer at Beijing Concert Hall in November 2014 and
subsequently recorded few days later.
Stephan Hodel is a multifaceted composer, arranger and orchestrator
with extensive experience in writing for large ensembles. His compositions
have been performed on concert stages around the world and he has also
orchestrated for many film, theatrical and rock/pop productions. He has written
music for the English National Ballet, the Dunshan Symphonic Wind Orchestra
in Beijing, the rock band Dada Ante Portas and the Macedonian Radio
Symphony Orchestra to name but a few. A graduate form the Royal College
of Music in London, Hodel finished his postgraduate studies with Joseph
Horovitz, and he continues to write music for different kinds of ensembles,
from wind and brass band to choir and symphony orchestra.
Adrian Schneider grew up in a musical family near Berne, Switzerland. In
2003 he graduated form the Lucerne Conservatoire studying trumpet with
Markus Würsch. After an active career as trumpet and cornet player in some
of Switzerland’s best wind and brass ensembles, his focus shifted towards
conducting. He came under the tutelage of Andreas Spörri, Principal Guest
Conductor of the Camerata St. Petersburg and the Cairo Symphony Orchestra.
In 2010 Adrian was appointed musical director of the Dunshan Symphonic
Wind Orchestra. His focus lies on widening the repertoire for wind band. He has
commissioned and premiered many new works from a variety of composers
especially written for DSWO.
Dunshan Symphonic Wind Orchestra is the first and only privately-
funded orchestra in mainland China. The orchestra is comprised of over fifty
musicians of the highest professional level from China, Europe and the United
States. They perform over 60 large-scale concerts per year throughout the
greater China region, exposing listeners to music of many different genres.
Through concerts, CD production, community outreach and education, the
DSWO hope to set a new standard of excellence for wind playing in China
and inspire the next generation of Chinese wind players. More information at
www.dswochina.cn
1 Interplay for Band
5 Woodie’s Delight
Written for Harmonie Musik Kriens, Switzerland, Interplay for Band was conceived
as a concert opening piece. It can also be played in a shorter fanfare version.
Woodie’s Delight was commissioned by my former neighbour Franz-Ruedi Meyer for
‘his’ Feldmusik Grosswangen. An accomplished clarinet player himself Franz-Ruedi
is also a great fan of big band swing in general and Woody Herman in particular.
The piece features the clarinet section to a great extent. The title is a reference to
both Woody and woodwinds.
2 The Final Cut – Der Letzte Schnitt
Der Letzte Schnitt is a novel by author Carlo von Ah that is based on the real events
around the last execution of the death penalty in Switzerland in 1940. Although
the death penalty was officially abolished in 1939 by public vote, the three times
murderer Hans Vollenweider was the last one to face the guillotine in Sarnen.
The piece begins with a traditional dance tune from Kerns, played from off stage.
This Cheerab, ‘the last dance’, is taken from the Hanny Christen Sammlung, a
collection of Swiss dance music from the 18th and 19th century.
The composition does not follow the events of the book in a programmatic manner,
but rather draws inspiration from the variety of emotions that are portrayed
throughout the book. Written for Feldmusik Sarnen and their 175th jubilee in 2012.
3 Lines etc.
Lines etc. is inspired by the album The Birth Of The Third Stream, a term coined by
composer and horn player Gunther Schuller in the 1950s. It tries to fuse elements
of classical music and jazz. As the title suggests, the first part of the piece consists
of three individual lines that are organised in a contrapuntal manner. It was written
for Blasorchester Oberland Thun, short BOOT.
6 El ritmo no para...
Latin American rhythms are at the core of El ritmo no para... The first part, with
Brazilian influences, has a strong driving rhythm and is followed by a slow melodic
Rumba. The following transition features elements of Cuban Salsa music, namely
the Montuno section. The end recapitulates the first part of the composition.
Originally composed for brass band, this work was orchestrated for wind band by
my friend John Holland.
7 Klänge aus dem Kleinen Paradies
A March written for a Swiss army regimental band, Spiel der Panzerbrigade 11, that
is based in the canton of Schaffhausen. The inhabitants of Schaffhausen refer to
their region as Das Kleine Paradies (the little paradise). The trio of this traditional
march features the famous folk song Das Munotglöcklein, some sort of unofficial
national anthem of the city of Schaffhausen.
8 Flying Ariella
4 Xian qi ni de gai tou lai
This is an arrangement of a famous Uyghur wedding song from the Xinjiang
province of China. It translates roughly as Lift your veil. Originally written for the
Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra this is an adaptation for wind band, especially made
for Dunshan Symphonic Wind Orchestra.
This piece was commissioned by the town of Meggen for Ariella Kaeslin, a former
artistic gymnast. Her long career was crowned in 2009 by winning the silver medal
on the vault at the World Championships in London.
9 Brauerei Eichhof Marsch
This traditional march was written for Brauerei Eichhof, a brewing company in
Lucerne. It was given to all bands that took part in the Swiss National Wind Band
Competition in Lucerne. The festival only takes place once every five years and with
over 500 bands and 22,000 musicians involved, it is considered the biggest wind
band festival in the world.
This album contains a selection of music for wind band by Swiss composer
Stephan Hodel.
Its title piece, The Final Cut - Der Letzte Schnitt is a musical account of the
events around the last execution of the death penalty in Switzerland in 1940
and is inspired by the homonymous novel by Carlo von Ah.
Monumental in its proportions, the piece includes a number of off-stage
players.
Lines etc. demonstrates Hodel’s versatility and affinity for different musical
styles such as jazz or classical music.
As a special treat, the album also includes an arrangement of one of China’s
most famous folk songs, Xian qi ni de gai lou lai (Lift Your Veil).
All sheet music is available at www.stephanhodel.com
1 Interplay for Band2:35
2 The Final Cut - Der Letzte Schnitt
19:28
3 Lines etc.7:10
4 Xian qi ni de gai tou lai (Lift Your Veil), trad./arr. Stephan Hodel
4:21
5 Woodie’s Delight 5:22
6 El ritmo no para..., orch. John Holland
7:16
7 Klänge aus dem Kleinen Paradies
4:07
8 Flying Ariella5:41
9 Brauerei Eichhof Marsch3:16
Recorded in November 2014 and February 2015 in Beijing, China
Recording, editing & mastering: Yuan Zhi Shen
Artwork and Cover Design: Juliana Ramos da Costa
Many thanks to Adrian Schneider and the musicians from DSWO, Ms. Zhao, Mr.
Shen, Jesus Santandreu, John Holland, Richard Canavan, Juliana Ramos da Costa
and my parents Herbert and Elisabeth Hodel-Steiner.
Copyright © 2015 Stephan Hodel. All rights reserved.