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Ticheli: Wild Nights!; Dzubay, Bryant, Etezady, Mackey / Weiss, Gnojek, U Of Kansas Wind Ensemble
WILD NIGHTS! ⢠Scott Weiss, cond; Vince Gnojek (s sax); Univ of Kansas Wind Ens ⢠NAXOS 8.572129 (60:23)
TICHELI Wild Nights! DZUBAY Shadow Dance. Bryant Dusk. ETEZADY Anahita. MACKEY Soprano Saxophone Concerto
A wild night, indeed! This isnât exactly warm-breezy-night-on-the-square band fare, though it would certainly make an exciting concert if the municipal ensemble were up to the considerable virtuosic demands. As we know from their earlier Naxos release, âRedline Tangoâ (8.570074), the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble has virtuosity to burn. As in that inaugural release of the Naxos Winds Band Classics series, they produce a superb blend and sonority; brilliant and thrillingly massive in full flight andâthanks in large part to a collection of outstanding section soloistsâbeautifully refined in quieter passages. âRedline Tangoâ was conducted by long-time Director of Bands John Lynch, who left a fine legacy of technical excellence, musical sensitivity, and dedication to new music. Scott Weiss, holder of the directorâs position since Lynchâs retirement in 2007, has plainly maintained the high standards.
The title work of the album starts the proceedings with a swagger. With high energy and high spirited, it lies stylistically somewhere between Coplandâs An Outdoor Overture and Bernsteinâs more manic moments. Inspired by the Emily Dickenson poem of the same name, it is more about the joy and ecstasy in that work than anything of the poetâs repressed sexual desires. In any case, jazzy and full of surprises, it is the perfect program opener.
Equally effective are David Dzubayâs magical Shadow Dance , a revisitation of PĂŠrotinâs Viderunt omnes and John Mackeyâs hyperactive Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble. Dzubay takes the concept of organum to remarkable extremes, creating a frenzied, irreverent modern equivalent of the 13th-century composerâs primitive polyphony. It has little to do with the medievalâexcepting, of course, the concluding monk-like chanting of the cantus firmus âbut everything to do with joyful celebration of the past. The Mackey Concerto, homage to his teacher John Corigliano, is five movements of nonstop technical demands on the soloist. Flanked by a Prelude and Finale that in themselves would provide a challenging work, the three inner movements celebrate the three materials in the saxophone. âFeltâ shows off key work, with wild note bending and alternate fingerings. âMetalâ exploits the beauty of the brass, with the sax playing high and sweetly, attended by bells and chimes. âWoodâ displays the instrumentâs warmth in a sensuous tango. Vince Gnojek, professor of saxophone at the University of Kansas, may not have the sweetest toneâmore a reedy American jazz sound than a French qualityâbut his technical skill is staggering and he is matched by the band members who get an amazing workout.
The other two works, Steven Bryantâs Dusk , a chorale work that shows off the bandâs beautiful control and Roshanne Etezadyâs three-movement Anahita , inspired by a mural of the Zoroastrian goddess of the night, are attractive, but less-distinctive works. The locally produced recording has great dynamics but not a lot of air around the ensemble, and loud climaxes become congested. It is hard to tell if it is the hall or the miking, but it is not enough to detract significantly from the overall excellent impression. Enough said: those looking for Sousa and Broadway medleys, head for the olâ band shell. Lovers of top-drawer wind bands and high octane, listener-friendly contemporary charts should apply within. And pick up that earlier Naxos release as well. Great stuff.
FANFARE: Ronald E. Grames
WILD NIGHTS! ⢠Scott Weiss, cond; Vince Gnojek (s sax); Univ of Kansas Wind Ens ⢠NAXOS 8.572129 (60:23)
TICHELI Wild Nights! DZUBAY Shadow Dance. Bryant Dusk. ETEZADY Anahita. MACKEY Soprano Saxophone Concerto
A wild night, indeed! This isnât exactly warm-breezy-night-on-the-square band fare, though it would certainly make an exciting concert if the municipal ensemble were up to the considerable virtuosic demands. As we know from their earlier Naxos release, âRedline Tangoâ (8.570074), the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble has virtuosity to burn. As in that inaugural release of the Naxos Winds Band Classics series, they produce a superb blend and sonority; brilliant and thrillingly massive in full flight andâthanks in large part to a collection of outstanding section soloistsâbeautifully refined in quieter passages. âRedline Tangoâ was conducted by long-time Director of Bands John Lynch, who left a fine legacy of technical excellence, musical sensitivity, and dedication to new music. Scott Weiss, holder of the directorâs position since Lynchâs retirement in 2007, has plainly maintained the high standards.
The title work of the album starts the proceedings with a swagger. With high energy and high spirited, it lies stylistically somewhere between Coplandâs An Outdoor Overture and Bernsteinâs more manic moments. Inspired by the Emily Dickenson poem of the same name, it is more about the joy and ecstasy in that work than anything of the poetâs repressed sexual desires. In any case, jazzy and full of surprises, it is the perfect program opener.
Equally effective are David Dzubayâs magical Shadow Dance , a revisitation of PĂŠrotinâs Viderunt omnes and John Mackeyâs hyperactive Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble. Dzubay takes the concept of organum to remarkable extremes, creating a frenzied, irreverent modern equivalent of the 13th-century composerâs primitive polyphony. It has little to do with the medievalâexcepting, of course, the concluding monk-like chanting of the cantus firmus âbut everything to do with joyful celebration of the past. The Mackey Concerto, homage to his teacher John Corigliano, is five movements of nonstop technical demands on the soloist. Flanked by a Prelude and Finale that in themselves would provide a challenging work, the three inner movements celebrate the three materials in the saxophone. âFeltâ shows off key work, with wild note bending and alternate fingerings. âMetalâ exploits the beauty of the brass, with the sax playing high and sweetly, attended by bells and chimes. âWoodâ displays the instrumentâs warmth in a sensuous tango. Vince Gnojek, professor of saxophone at the University of Kansas, may not have the sweetest toneâmore a reedy American jazz sound than a French qualityâbut his technical skill is staggering and he is matched by the band members who get an amazing workout.
The other two works, Steven Bryantâs Dusk , a chorale work that shows off the bandâs beautiful control and Roshanne Etezadyâs three-movement Anahita , inspired by a mural of the Zoroastrian goddess of the night, are attractive, but less-distinctive works. The locally produced recording has great dynamics but not a lot of air around the ensemble, and loud climaxes become congested. It is hard to tell if it is the hall or the miking, but it is not enough to detract significantly from the overall excellent impression. Enough said: those looking for Sousa and Broadway medleys, head for the olâ band shell. Lovers of top-drawer wind bands and high octane, listener-friendly contemporary charts should apply within. And pick up that earlier Naxos release as well. Great stuff.
FANFARE: Ronald E. Grames
$3.50
Original: $9.99
-65%Ticheli: Wild Nights!; Dzubay, Bryant, Etezady, Mackey / Weiss, Gnojek, U Of Kansas Wind Ensembleâ
$9.99
$3.50Description
WILD NIGHTS! ⢠Scott Weiss, cond; Vince Gnojek (s sax); Univ of Kansas Wind Ens ⢠NAXOS 8.572129 (60:23)
TICHELI Wild Nights! DZUBAY Shadow Dance. Bryant Dusk. ETEZADY Anahita. MACKEY Soprano Saxophone Concerto
A wild night, indeed! This isnât exactly warm-breezy-night-on-the-square band fare, though it would certainly make an exciting concert if the municipal ensemble were up to the considerable virtuosic demands. As we know from their earlier Naxos release, âRedline Tangoâ (8.570074), the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble has virtuosity to burn. As in that inaugural release of the Naxos Winds Band Classics series, they produce a superb blend and sonority; brilliant and thrillingly massive in full flight andâthanks in large part to a collection of outstanding section soloistsâbeautifully refined in quieter passages. âRedline Tangoâ was conducted by long-time Director of Bands John Lynch, who left a fine legacy of technical excellence, musical sensitivity, and dedication to new music. Scott Weiss, holder of the directorâs position since Lynchâs retirement in 2007, has plainly maintained the high standards.
The title work of the album starts the proceedings with a swagger. With high energy and high spirited, it lies stylistically somewhere between Coplandâs An Outdoor Overture and Bernsteinâs more manic moments. Inspired by the Emily Dickenson poem of the same name, it is more about the joy and ecstasy in that work than anything of the poetâs repressed sexual desires. In any case, jazzy and full of surprises, it is the perfect program opener.
Equally effective are David Dzubayâs magical Shadow Dance , a revisitation of PĂŠrotinâs Viderunt omnes and John Mackeyâs hyperactive Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble. Dzubay takes the concept of organum to remarkable extremes, creating a frenzied, irreverent modern equivalent of the 13th-century composerâs primitive polyphony. It has little to do with the medievalâexcepting, of course, the concluding monk-like chanting of the cantus firmus âbut everything to do with joyful celebration of the past. The Mackey Concerto, homage to his teacher John Corigliano, is five movements of nonstop technical demands on the soloist. Flanked by a Prelude and Finale that in themselves would provide a challenging work, the three inner movements celebrate the three materials in the saxophone. âFeltâ shows off key work, with wild note bending and alternate fingerings. âMetalâ exploits the beauty of the brass, with the sax playing high and sweetly, attended by bells and chimes. âWoodâ displays the instrumentâs warmth in a sensuous tango. Vince Gnojek, professor of saxophone at the University of Kansas, may not have the sweetest toneâmore a reedy American jazz sound than a French qualityâbut his technical skill is staggering and he is matched by the band members who get an amazing workout.
The other two works, Steven Bryantâs Dusk , a chorale work that shows off the bandâs beautiful control and Roshanne Etezadyâs three-movement Anahita , inspired by a mural of the Zoroastrian goddess of the night, are attractive, but less-distinctive works. The locally produced recording has great dynamics but not a lot of air around the ensemble, and loud climaxes become congested. It is hard to tell if it is the hall or the miking, but it is not enough to detract significantly from the overall excellent impression. Enough said: those looking for Sousa and Broadway medleys, head for the olâ band shell. Lovers of top-drawer wind bands and high octane, listener-friendly contemporary charts should apply within. And pick up that earlier Naxos release as well. Great stuff.
FANFARE: Ronald E. Grames
