Original composition honors Tuckwell in his finale
by Joseph Jay McIntyre, The Morning Herald
March 17, 1998

Early in the fall of 1997 the Maryland Symphony Board of Directors asked if I would write a piece for brass and percussion, to be presented as a gift to Barry Tuckwell for this, his final season as music director with the MSO. I immediately and enthusiastically agreed,but soon after I began sketching out different themes and ideas, I realized that the scope and purpose of such a piece should include every member of the orchestra. I flet that it was essential we all take part in this final tribute to the Maestro. So with the Board's approval and Mr. Tuckwell's blessing, I set out to write a piece that I hoped would do justice to such a momentous occasion.

Salute! is scored for full orchestra and solo Horn. By no means a concerto, the soloist plays at different moments throughout the piece from various locations of the theatre. The solo horn, of course, represents Maestro Tuckwell at various stages of his tenur with the Maryland Symphony, from the creation of the orchestra, through the many years of growth, development, hardship and struggle, and finally, a hopeful look into the future - a "new beginning." Simply state, Salute! is a musical representation of the evolution of the first 16 years of the Maryland Symphony.

Incidentally, those who are familiar with the choral music of Benjamin Britten will recognize several musical excerpts which I quote directly in Salute! The excerpts are from Britten's magnificent Hymn to Cecilia, a beautiful setting of a very moving poem by W.H. Auden. Early in Salute! one hears the tuba "sing" the passage, "…and what has been, may never be again, may never be again."

These simple yet poignant words reflect the undeniable truth about our time spent here on earth. We can never relive the past, the future is speculative at best, and the present is but a fleeting moment. Sixteen years have passed quickly since the conception of the Maryland Symphony. I felt eager excitement then as I took part the premiere performance by the MSO on November 13, 1982. I feel the same excitement now, as we prepare for the the premiere performance of Salute!

Salute! is a celebration. We celebrate Maestro Barry Tuckwell, a man who has given us so much in these past 16 years. We celebrate the vitality and musicality he gives us today, and we celebrate a bright and hopeful future that he now passes on to us.

The Maryland Symphony Orchestra will perform Salute! during the second half of the program on Saturday, March 21, at 8pm and Sunday, March 21, 1998 at 3pm. The concert will also feature Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 "From the New World," Gershwin's An American In Paris and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Performances are at the historic Maryland Theatre located at 21 South Potomac Street in Hagerstown.