Catalog

This recording contrasts a concerto for saxophone quartet and wind ensemble by David Maslanka (1943-2017) with a concerto for soprano saxophone, winds and percussion by one of Maslanka's proteges, Roy Magnuson (b. 1983). Magnuson has composed music for orchestra, wind ensemble, band, chamber ensembles, vocalists, electroacoustic ensembles, and films. His music has been performed throughout the United States. A graduate of Illinois State University, Ithaca College and the University of Illinois, he is now on the faculty at Illinois State University. Revered by the wind ensemble world as a composer, teacher, and mentor, David Maslanka was a graduate of Oberlin and Michigan State University. His compositions include more than 50 works for wind ensemble, and this recording is one of more than 20 containing his compositions on Albany Records.

The DePaul University Wind Ensemble has distinguished itself over the years not only with its marvelous virtuosity but with its highly original and exciting programming which can also be heard on Albany releases TROY334, 435, 501, 568 and 628. Here they are joined by John Hagstrom, who leads the trumpet studio at DePaul University. He has been a member of the Chicago Symphony's trumpet section since 1996. He studied at the Eastman School and spent six years in "The President's Own" United States Marine Band in Washington, D.C. All of these pieces have a wonderful way of showing off the terrific musical combination of trumpet and wind orchestra, with such highlights as the propulsive Concerto by Russian composer Andrei Petrov, the Scherzo by the famed Mexican artist Rafael Mendez, the lovely Rachmaninov arrangement, and the novelties found in the Ropartz and Arutiunian works. By now everyone has heard the latter composer's Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra, so it's a pleasure to hear this more recent work. This CD is for anyone who appreciates great trumpet playing and loves the sound of a virtuoso wind orchestra.

Steven Stucky was born on November 7, 1949, in Hutchinson, Kansas and grew up in Kansas and Texas. He holds degrees from Baylor University and Cornell University. His principal teachers have been Robert Palmer, Karel Husa, and Burrill Philips. For two years, beginning in 1978, he taught composition at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Then he joined the faculty of Cornell University, where at present he is Professor of Music and Chairman of the Department of Music. It was at the suggestion of Esa-Pekka Salonen that Stucky transcribed the music of Purcell. He used as the basis of the work, three pieces that Purcell composed for the funeral of Queen Mary who had died of smallpox on December 28, 1694. Threnos was commissioned by the Cornell University Wind Ensemble in memory of the fine composer Brian Israel who died at the age of 35 of leukemia. Fanfares and Arias was commissioned by the Big Eight Band Directors Association and first performed by the University of Colorado Wind Ensemble, during the national Conference of the College Band Directors National Association on February 22, 1995. Voyages was composed for cello and wind Orchestra. It was first performed by the English cellist, Lynden Cranham, with the Yale University Band.

Bernard Rands' Ceremonial is a monothematic composition in which a single, extended melody is repeated ten times during the course of the work. The mood and pace of the piece gradually, deliberately and inevitably moves through its own rituals. John Harbison's Olympic Dances was commissioned by a College Band Directors National Association consortium of twelve wind ensembles-bands including the New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble. Harbison writes: "When I was asked to do this piece, it immediately suggested something classical, not our musical 18th century, but an imaginative vision of ancient worlds. I thought of an imagined harmony between dance, sport and sound that we can intuit from serene oranges and blacks on Greek vases, and most important to this piece, the celebration of the ideal tableau, the moment frozen in time, that is present still in the friezes that adorn the temples, and in the architecture of the temples themselves." About his Concerto, William Kraft writes: "The Concerto is transcribed from the original version for orchestra. Wind instruments, including brass, played a strong part in the orchestra version, so much so that when Erich Leinsdorf performed the work with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he rearranged the orchestra seating so that the winds were brought forward and the strings pushed back. Therefore it was quite natural to do a transcription for Wind Ensemble." Karel Husa's Les Couleurs Fauves was commissioned by alumni and friends of the Northwestern University School of Music for John P. Paynter, in honor of the 40th anniversary of his appointment to the faculty. Unfortunately this wonderful musician and teacher died before the work's premiere. It was played for the first time at a memorial concert on November 16, 1996, conducted by the composer.

The works on this recording by Richard Toensing are of the highest order for both the wind ensemble and the soloists. Toensing's muse is an ambitious and generous one, requiring extreme competence of musicianship, mastery of varieties of style and great sensitivity. He shows himself to be a master of all the sonic possibilities available to him. A graduate of St. Olaf College and the University of Michigan, Toensing is on the faculty at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has won numerous awards and fellowships, including a Guggenheim and the Joseph H. Bearnes Prize from Columbia University. Mezzo-soprano Erica Washburn is director of choral activities at the New England Conservatory. Soprano Bethany Worrell is the soprano artist-in-residence with the Metropolitan Chorale of Brookline. William Drury is New England Conservatory's associate conductor of wind ensembles and the conductor of the Southern New Hampshire University Orchestra. As a conductor, he has commissioned and premiered works by numerous American composers, including Richard Toensing.

Two world premiere recordings are offered on this most recent recording by the Illinois State University Wind Symphony -- David Maslanka's O Earth, O Stars, a double concerto for flute and cello -- and a work commissioned by the Wind Symphony from Latin Grammy Award Winner, Carlos Franzetti -- his Symphony No. 3. Born in Argentina, Carlos Franzetti studied there, in Mexico and at Juilliard. From symphonies to big band jazz, from chamber works to Latin American music and film scores Ñ he has no limits as a composer. Especially well known for his music for wind ensemble, composer David Maslanka has also written a wide variety of chamber, orchestral and choral works.

The title of this recording, Ostinato Fantastico, is obviously taken from the title of Blas Atehortua's work. It has a kind of double meaning in the context of the series of recordings the DePaul Wind Ensemble has created with Albany Records. An ostinato is a variation form in which a theme or pattern is repeated throughout the piece, while the musical material around it is changed or varied. In a similar way the DePaul/Albany recordings have a consistent theme of presenting works for winds of two types: First, we have tried to offer seldom or never-recorded music by important composers, music that we don't want to lose from the repertoire. Second, we have presented solo works with wind accompaniment, played by excellent soloists. As the important repertoire for winds develops and is defined over the next decades, we will need to establish and perform the emerging "canon" of wind music. Nobody knows what pieces will be important 100 years from now, but we do need to seek out the best music and insure that it doesn't fall by the wayside because it has been ignored. It is also important to provide a repertoire of excellent solo pieces with original and well-transcribed wind accompaniments. These two themes represent the ostinato of the DePaul Albany series.

The Dutch composer, Willem van Otterloo, composed his Serenade in 1944. It is in a post romantic style and runs the gamut from charming to brilliant to reflective. It is loosely based on the wind serenades of the 18th and 19th centuries and consists of four movements - March, Nocturne, Scherzo and Hymn. As the titles suggest, this music is meant to be accessible to the listener and appropriate for concert as well as occasional performances. George Perle has been celebrated as both a composer and theorist of extraordinary accomplishments. He is a favorite son of the DePaul School of Music, where he earned his BA in 1938. The Concertino for Piano, Winds and Timpani was composed between September 24, 1978 and February 20, 1979, on a commission from the Fromm Music Foundation. It was premiered in Chicago in April 1979 with Ralph Shapey conducting. Ned Rorem's Sinfonia was written as the first commission for the American Wind Symphony Orchestra and its conductor, Robert Boudreau. It is cast in four brief sections, two of which are lyrical and reflective, and two of which are full of energy. The work is short, but possesses both wit and charm. Thom Ritter-George grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Today he is a Professor of Music in Idaho State University's Department of Music. His Concerto for Flute was written in early 1966 on commission from the music publisher, P. Litchard Toland. Mr. Toland requested two special features for the new work. The first was that the solo part should be written with optional scoring for piccolo in certain passages. The second was that there should be three versions of the accompaniment - orchestra, piano and wind ensemble. In his role as Orchestra Librarian for the Eastman School of Music, Mr. Toland had seen many situations where accompaniment alternatives were needed. Hans Werner Henze's Ragtimes and Habaneras was originally written for brass band and was re-scored for wind orchestra by his pupil Marcel Wengler. The work consists of eleven short dance movements reminiscent of ragtime dances like the Charleston and the Foxtrot, and Latin American dances such as the tango, Son and Rumba. The final movement is a kind of cross between a ragtime and a march. While the harmonic materials are modern and each form a kind of short parody, the music is full of humor and fun.

A world premiere recording of Anthony Plog's Concerto 2010 is the featured work on this recording by the Texas Christian University Wind Symphony. The concerto, written for brass quintet and wind ensemble, has the esteemed American Brass Quintet as soloists. Celebrating its 50th year, the American Brass Quintet has been internationally recognized as one of the premiere chamber music ensembles of our time. The ensemble has created a legacy unparalleled in the brass field. A must-have for brass lovers, this disc is the first commercial recording by one of the outstanding collegiate wind ensembles in the U.S.

Samuel Zyman, a long-time New York-based Professor of Music Theory and Analysis at The Juilliard School, is acknowledged as one of the leading Mexican composers on the international scene today. Zyman's music is characterized by intense and vigorous rhythmic energy, expressive lyricism, and the frequent use of near-jazzy imitative counterpoint. Flutist Jonathan Borja enjoys a varied career as a performer and Educator. Associate Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Borja was a member of the Topeka Symphony Orhcestra and the Colorado MahlerFest Orchestra. A graduate of the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance and Principia College, Borja began his studies at the National Conservatory of Music in his native Mexico City. He has performed throughout the United States and Mexico at distinguished venues including Steinway Hall, Powell Symphony Hall, and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Singapore.

Anthony Iannaccone was born in New York City and studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Eastman School of Music. His principal teachers were Vittorio Giannini, Aaron Copland, and David Diamond. During the 1960's, he supported himself as a part-time teacher at the Manhattan School and Orchestral violinist. His catalogue of approximately fifty published works includes three symphonies, as well as smaller works for Orchestra, several large works for chorus and Orchestra, numerous Chamber pieces, and a variety of works for wind ensemble. Since 1971, he has taught at Eastern Michigan University, where he conducts the Collegium Musicum. Some sense of character and range of Iannaccone's music can be gleaned from a sampling of various descriptions given by authors and critics over the past three decades: "dark but never despairing.. intense lyricism with a distinct personality..." (Stereo Review); "...verdant, and always beautifully Orchestrated..." (The New York Times); "...the music's sonic diversity and ensembling of colors are masterful...(the reviewer) never failing to be enthralled by the insights of its argument and development..." (Fanfare). American music for wind band has been very popular recently and this disc should find a wide audience.

The works for clarinet/piano duo on this recording were composed by five distinguished women working in the United States. Four of the pieces date from the later decades of the 20th century and one from mid-century. None of the pieces has been issued in commercial recording before now. The five pieces were chosen because each conveys something intimate and important to the performers (Jessica Lindsey, clarinet and Christian Bohnenstengel, piano). Each has an element that draws the listener closer to catch each inflection, every intended meaning. Dr. Jessica Lindsey has established herself as a dynamic performer and pedagogue, pursuing a career that is equally devoted to both spheres. Her reputation as a clarinetist in both chamber and orchestral settings has seen her perform throughout the United States, and as far afield as China and New Zealand. On the faculty of the University of North Carolina Charlotte, Lindsey studied at the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Pianist Christian Bohnenstengel's performances have taken him all over the U.S., to South America and to Europe.

In the midst of the global strife caused by COVID, the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, and the erosion of civil liberties around the world, we have felt an overwhelming need to shout. The music on this recording is centered around the need to shout; shout in frustration over the loss of individual freedoms or the overwhelming desire to shout for joy. The music reflects this very human need. While Olin Hannum's work is a piece written to reflect the dual characters of devastation and solemnity, built on turbulence and instability from the opening figures to the final note, the central driving force of Maslanka's work is the impulse to shout for the joy of life. The Oregon State University Wind Ensemble explores new literature as well as performing the masterworks of the wind ensemble genre. They have commissioned 11 composers and their reputation for excellence is acknowledged by the wind ensemble community. Conductor Erik Leung is a native of Canada. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Calgary.

Thomas Sleeper is the conductor of the University of Miami Symphony Orchestra. He composed his Concerto for Piano and Wind Ensemble in 1986. It was premiered in April, 1987. The three movement work, while not programmatic, attempts to capture the general essence of three characters from Goethe's Faust. The Concerto was revised in 1997 and this is the second performance of that revision. Michael Colgrass' first musical experiences were as a jazz drummer in the Chicago area (1944-49). In 1954 he graduated from the University of Illinois in music performance and composition. His teachers included Darius Milhaud and Lukas Foss. Of Dream Dancer, Mr. Colgrass writes: "The musical cultures of the world are opening up as never before. Dream Dancer is a fantasy about a musical instrument that feels attracted to various styles of music, trying to decide which one to play. I like to think of Dream Dancer as a kind of musical play with the soloist and the other instruments being actors who respond to each other dramatically." James Syler was raised in New York and Florida and educated at Northern Illinois University, the University of Miami and the University of Texas at Austin. He is primarily a self-taught composer with brief studies with Alfred Reed, Karl Korte and Michael Colgrass. He writes: "For many years I've wanted to write a large work that would combine my musical and literary interest. So much of 20th century fiction presents despairing characters who find their resolution in some form of self-destruction. In writing the text for this work I wanted to create a narrative that would resolve despair in a different way. This free verse lyrical narrative, titled Blue, is in the broadest sense about the loss of love and the process of reconnecting with love."

David Maslanka was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts and attended Oberlin where he studied with Joseph Wood. He spent a year at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and did graduate work in composition with H. Owen Reed at Michigan State University. He has served on the faculties of various universities and colleges and presently resides in Missoula, Montana. He writes: "Song Book is a set of pieces that are song-like - that is, intimate and expressive, though not necessarily quiet. The solo flute feels like a voice to me, a voice which has a complex story to tell, in the form of musical dreams. The 371 Four-Part Chorales by Bach have been a long-time focal point for my study and meditation. These chorales are the models for melodic and harmonic movement used by every beginning music theory student. I had my first encounter with them as a college freshman in 1961. Ten years ago I returned to singing and playing them as a daily warm-up for my composing. I have come to experience the chorales as touchstones for dream space. I have used many of them as the jumping off point for my own compositions. The feeling is one of opening an unmarked door and being suddenly thrust into a different world. The chorales are the doors." Daron Hagen was born in Milwaukee and studied at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. He continued his studies at the University of Wisconsin, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Juilliard School, working with teachers as diverse as Ned Rorem, Joseph Schwantner, David Diamond and Witold Lutoslawski. Mr. Hagen writes: "Excited by the technical challenges that making winds and voices work well together posed, I discussed with conductor Michael Haithcock the possibility of adding to the repertoire for voice and wind ensemble. The result was The Heart of the Stranger, a song cycle for baritone voice and orchestral winds, which was first performed September 20, 1999 at Baylor University by the Baylor Wind Ensemble, Paul Kreider, baritone soloist under the direction of Michael Haithcock."

This recording is the long-awaited second release on Albany Records of the famed New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble. Conducted by Frank Battisti, the Wind Ensemble performs the significant literature for brass, woodwind and percussion instruments composed from the Renaissance to the twentieth century. Many of its performances are broadcast over the National Public Radio network. This disc will be a must for all wind ensemble enthusiasts. (Volume 1 is TROY340.)

Let's take a look at the unfamiliar music contained on this disc. About Tears David Maslanka writes: "Tears is about inner transformation, and about groping towards the voice of praise. As St. Francis and St. Ignatius have it, the proper function of the human race is to sing praise. Tears is about inner breaking, and coming to terms with the pain that hinders the voice of praise; Tears is about the movement toward the heart of love." This is a recent piece from Mr. Maslanka's pen. Dana Wilson completed his Dance of the New World the same month - 500 years later - than Columbus first landed in the New World. He wanted in this piece to pay tribute to the blending of styles and attitudes that has taken place in the Latin American region of this hemisphere where Columbus first landed. Frank Ticheli's Postcard was first performed by the University of Michigan Symphony Band on April 17, 1992. Mr. Ticheli is a graduate of the University of Michigan and now teaches at the University of Southern California where he is Assistant Professor of Music. He is also composer-in-residence with the Pacific Symphony Orchestra.

Rimsky-Korsakov's three works for solo instruments and military band, the Concerto for Trombone (1877), the Variations for Oboe (1878) and the Concertstuck for Clarinet (1878), date from his years as Inspector of the Imperial Russian Naval Bands (1873-1884). Not only do these works testify to the growing expertise in Imperial Russian military music performance (doubtless as a result of the newly established St. Petersburg and Moscow Conservatories), but they also give us some insight into Rimsky's ever-evolving compositional thinking. The composer acknowledged as much, writing in his memoirs that they were "written primarily to provide the military band concerts with solo pieces of a less hackneyed natures than the usual: secondly that I myself might master the virtuoso style so unfamiliar to me, with its solo and tutti, its cadences, etc." And in many ways these three pieces constitute "experiments" in that combination of ensemble sonority and solo virtuosity that earmark Scheherazade (188) as a masterpiece of Orchestral wizardry. The first performance of Karel Husa's Music for Prague 1968 was given at the Music Educators National Conference in Washington, DC in 1969. The work was commissioned and premiered by the Ithaca College Concert Band with Kenneth Snapp, conductor. Since that time, it has received over 7,000 performances in both its original version for concert band, and the composer's adaptation for symphony Orchestra. Prokofiev began composing marches for wind band in the mid 1930s, during the period when he returned to the Soviet Union. His first was the Athletic Festival March from 1935, in which he imagined a festival march for millions of young Soviet athletic. As well, the three soloists on this disc are all or have been members of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Albany Records is proud to release what is a long-overdue memorial to one of the finest American composers of wind ensemble music. Chance was a gifted composer, teacher and administrator who died a tragic death by accidental electrocution at the age of 39. He studied theory and composition with Kent Kennan, Clifton Williams and Paul Pisk. If you are familiar with the "old school" of band music, Chance is as fine a representative as any. His music is brash, exciting, and highly energetic in the way you remember from those works you heard on those great old Mercury recordings with the late Frederick Fennell. Ironically, though such works as the Blue Lake Overture and Variations on a Korean Folk-Song have been in the active band repertory for years, this is the first major commercial release entirely devoted to his music, a "greatest hits" package in fact. Standing out in particular is the Symphony No. 2, perhaps the best work of its kind since the Persichetti Symphony (No. 6) for Band. Based on a four-note motif of C#-D-F-E, the music whips up a remarkable amount of tension and excitement, especially in the last movement. The authoritative performances are under Stephen K. Steele, who began directing the Band Department at Illinois State University in 1987. Under his direction, the Wind Symphony has performed for state and national conventions, including the 1990 American Bandmasters Association and the 1993 and 2001 College Band Directors National Association. Steele and the Wind Symphony can also be heard on two previous releases, TROY500 (music of Persichetti, Syler, Zaninelli and Maslanka) and TROY600 (music of Maslanka and Hagen). Albany has had great success with our catalog of wind music, and we feel this new release, honoring John Barnes Chance, is one of finest.

This is a recording of new American music for wind ensemble and brass expertly performed by the Boston Conservatory Wind Ensemble and Triton Brass. The oldest work on the program was written in 2004 by Nico Muhly. Lansing McLoskey's works were written in 2007 and 2011, as was Justin Barish's and the most recent work by Keith Kusterer was written in 2013. Indeed these are all extremely talented composers, whose careers span teaching at Miami Frost School of Music and winning the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (McLoskey); collaborating with singer Bjork on her DVD and writing an opera for the Metropolitan Opera (Muhly); winning the John Lennon Songwriting Competition and the 2012 Boston Conservatory Wind Competition (Kusterer); and being featured at the Focus Under 40 Boston Conservatory New Music Festival (Barish).

Do you know the name David Maslanka? Probably not and yet he is writing some of the most wonderful music. He lives on his ranch in Montana and composes music; music for himself and for us: music which is romantic, tonal, imaginative; music which is good and worth hearing by a larger audience. Maslanka was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He studied at the New England Conservatory, the Oberlin Conservatory, the Mozarteum in Salzburg and received his Ph.D. in music theory and composition from Michigan State University. His principal teachers were Joseph Wood and H. Owen Reed. A Child's Garden of Dreams s commissioned for the Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble. It was composed in the summer of 1981 and premiered by Northwestern in 1982. The Symphony No. 2 was commissioned by the Big Ten Band Directors Association in 1983. It was given its premiere at the CBDNA Convention in Evanston, Illinois. The performing group was the combined Symphonic Band and Symphonic Wind Ensemble of Northwestern University.

For many years, here at Albany Records, we have had the idea of doing a recording of American music that would tie in to horse racing - specifically the August season at Saratoga. Thoroughbred Thunder is the result and it has an appeal and charm well beyond its initial idea. Obviously, all of the selections have something to do with horses and racing, so any place that has a race track, or a racing audience will find this disc most entertaining. It should be a best seller, not only at Saratoga, but at Churchill Downs, Belmont and any other place there is a track. What about the music? It does sound like what you would hear at a circus. It has a jolly, albeit, repetitive nature to it, but this will only make the disc appeal to a wide variety of listeners: the listener for whom the composers on this disc they have only read about, never having heard a note of their music to the listener who is looking for something just as entertaining and charming as the title suggests.

This recording highlights works by key 20th-century composers of Eastern European provenance. This delightful music is given sparkling performances by The Prairie Winds, a wind quintet formed in 1996 by a group of friends. Since then, The Prairie Winds have been captivating audiences with renditions of the finest wind quintet literature. The ensemble is distinguished by its unique blend of sound, virtuosity of technique and commitment to the music.

It is good news whenever a major work by Michael Colgrass comes into the catalog and Urban Requiem is a major work, lasting almost a half hour. In 1978, Colgrass won the Pulitzer Prize. His musical style contains strains of jazz, poetic quiet and rich Orchestral colors. This new work, Urban Requiem was commissioned by Gary Green and this Miami Organization. They gave it its world premiere. As they say today, Michael Daugherty is a "hot" composer with his own disc on Argo with Zinman and Baltimore. Motown Metal was premiered by the Detroit Chamber Winds in February 1994. It was inspired by the rhythms of industrial Detroit: city of automobile clamor, the 60s Motown sound and the 90s techno beat. It features instruments made only of metal. The late Swedish-born, German composer Ingolf Dahl (who eventually settled in the United States and taught at USC until his death), originally composed his Hymn and Toccata for piano solo. John Boyd from Indiana State University prepared the current band Orchestration. Clarke McAlister has written a variety of music for solo instruments, Chamber ensembles and concert band. Currently, he is editor-in-chief of Edwin E. Kalmus and Company and Masters Music Publications. He is quite prominent in Florida music circles. The University of Miami Wind Ensemble consists of the finest wind and percussion students at the University of Miami. Its director, Gary Green, is associate professor of music and director of bands at the University.

The fact that a composer of Persichetti's stature and prominence wrote so many works for wind band was not a result of a unique devotion, but simply because he was inherently attracted to the medium. The works on this recording, which constitute Persichetti's major works for wind ensemble, represent a wide variety of lengths, forms and difficulty levels and yet certain compositional consistencies can be found throughout. The differences are in technical demands and harmonic density rather than the basic musical language. The Illinois State University Wind Symphony and their conductor Stephen K. Steele offer exceptional performances of this music.

Professor of Music and instructor of music theory and composition at the University of Massachusetts, Robert Stern was educated at Eastman and the University of California at Los Angeles. His Ultima Fantasia was composed for the forces who have recorded it here. It reflects the composer's long standing interest in the 14th century Italian madrigal "O tu cara scienzia mia musica" by Florentia which began in 1968 with a series of works based on this madrigal. Joseph Turrin received his formal education at Eastman and the Manhattan School of Music. His Serenade Romantic was composed in the summer of 1982 for the New Jersey Wind Ensemble. The work is dedicated to the memory of Howard Hanson and is intended to be a cinematic tribute to this fine composer. Michael Daugherty writes about Motown Metal : "Motown Metal is a seven-minute composition for brass and percussion inspired by the rhythms of industrial Detroit: city of automobile clamor, the sixties Motown sounds and the nineties techno beat. It features only instruments made of metal and was premiered in February 1994 by the Detroit Chamber Winds under H. Robert Reynolds. David Maslanka's Morning Star was commissioned by the Grand Ledge, Michigan, High School Wind Symphony, Michael Kaufmann, conductor. "I was asked to write a celebratory piece for the opening of the wonderful new concert hall at Grand Ledge High. When it came time to compose, I took up a little tune that came to mind. The result is a happy piece, a concept which does not usually attach itself to my music." Maslanka's Symphony No. 4 was commissioned by a consortium of collegiate wind bands and premiered by the University of Texas at Austin Wind Ensemble during the Texas Music Educators' Convention in 1994. The backbone of the work is the weaving together of several hymn tunes. "The spontaneous rise of the impulse to shout for the joy of life" is how Maslanka describes this piece.

The Atlanta Chamber Winds is the premiere ensemble of its type in the Southeastern United States. Founded by Robert J. Ambrose in 2006, the group comprises many of the finest professional wind players in Atlanta. The ensemble is committed to promoting and recording lesser-known works for the chamber wind medium, as demonstrated by this recording of 20th and 21st century works by composers Robert Spittal, Leslie Bassett, Tim Jansa, Esther W. Ballou, Daniel Pinkham, and Ezra Laderman. The compositions range from an octet for winds to a double woodwind quintet, to a wind sextet and a wind trio.

This latest release in this remarkable series by the Illinois State Winds presents two major Symphonies by popular veterans of the field, Jack Stamp and David Maslanka, and introduces the music of the young American composer Kevin Krumenauer. Blue on Red explores the transition from grief and loss to life and celebration. The two colors represent a strong sense of emotion during the opening and closing movements. The renowned David Diamond was both a friend and mentor to Jack Stamp, the Professor of Music and Director of Wind Studies at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Diamond himself had written an Elegy in Memory of Ravel for winds in 1937, and it is fitting that Stamp created this tribute to Diamond within the context of the wind orchestra. Finally we hear one of the major works of the repertoire, David Maslanka's Symphony No. 2, as conductor Steele continues his series devoted to the music of this composer (previous releases are on TROY821, 774/75, 600 and 500)