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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Exceptional Klavier release, May 21, 2000
The Klavier Wind Recording Project, already preparing to release its twenty-second and twenty-third discs this autumn, has produced a wonderful collection of contemporary music for band in addition to identifying several important pieces of the standard repetoire. This particular 1998 release, while full of interesting music, likely only holds appeal for the so-called "band aficionado." The selections on here constitute one of the darker Klavier releases to date, containing music of a somewhat more somber nature.Opening with Carnegie Mellon-based composer Nancy Galbraith's brighly orchestrated work about mischievous elfin beings, "Danza de los Duendes" provides an excellent opener somewhat reminiscent of John Adam's writing. From there, the title track, Walter Mays' 1996 award-winning "Dreamcatcher" follows. The work, dealing with the Ojibwa belief about the nature of good and bad dreams features quotations of an actual Ojibwa folk tune in many of its melodic motives. Leslie Bassett's 1985 commission to compose a lullaby specifically for band, in particular, for the the conductor's newborn daughter, Leslie, utilizes the composer's "trademark compositional technique." More specifically, a non-serialized twelve-tone method. While the only other Bassett work that I am personally familiar with is his trombone quartet (although he has written a considerable body of music, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Variations for Orchestra"), I still remain unimpressed with the very brief "Lullaby for Kirsten" despite repeated hearings. Another Pulitzer Prize-winner, Eastman-faculty member Joseph Schwantner, and his ethreal "From a Dark Millenium" provides one of the true high points on this album, although I must agree with a previous review about its disappointing sonics. As in his other two works for wind ensemble (also available from Klavier), the piano contributes a very interesting timbre to the already varied band palette. David Gillingham's 1996 "Waking Angels," inspired by Olga Broumas poem on AIDS, "emanates the mysteriousness, pain, and ruthlessness of the disease...through the imagery of music." Prefaced by Will Thompson's "Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is Calling" (of which Gillingham derives some melodic motiff), the work is very interesting and wholly satisfying. Gillingham, currently on the faculty at Central Michigan, is enjoying growing popularity for many of his band works. To conclude this disc, German-composer Rolf Rudin's two-part "Der Traum de Oenghus," based on an Irish fairy tale dealing with nightly visions and dementia (in keeping with the overall theme), with its shimmering introduction, violent (and sometimes martial) middle sections, and quiet closing pages provides a very satisfying finish to this Klavier disc. The North Texas Wind Symphony under Corporn turns in polished performances, at times full of warthm and brilliance. Technically clean and with good intonation, this disc highlights exceptional wind band literature that would otherwise wait years to be recorded. Recommended for serious band enthusiasts or those simply interested in finding band music of a less "oom-pa" oriented nature.
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~ Michael Daugherty
~ Jerry Bierschenk
~ Walter Gray
~ John Adams
~ Daniel S. Godfrey
- the new music site from IMDb and Amazon.
