December 21, 2020
UMass Wind Ensemble
MSR Classics has just released the latest CD by the UMass wind ensemble, led by director of wind studies Matthew Westgate. “Quicksilver” features the world premiere recordings of three works, all of which were commissioned by the wind studies program as part of a larger consortium. These include Stacy Garrop’s “Quicksilver: Concerto for Alto Saxophone with Wind Ensemble,” which includes UMass saxophone professor Jonathan Hulting-Cohen as soloist; David Biedenbender’s “What is Written on the Leaves;” and David Maslanka’s “Concerto No. 3 (‘Do You Know My Name?’) for Piano, Winds and Percussion.” The featured soloist on the Maslanka piece is the late UMass faculty pianist Nadine Shank, to whom the CD is dedicated.
WTJU Dec 21st, 2020 | By Ralph Graves
This release features two world premiere recordings: Brian Galante’s “So Hallow’d the Time,” and Stephen Paulus’ “Christmas Dances.” They couldn’t be in better hands.
Robert Taylor’s ensemble, the Taylor Festival Choir sings with a clean, translucent sound that resonates with the deep spirituality of these works.
“So Hallow’d the Time” is a quiet contemplation on the time leading up to Christmas, moving from darkness to light.
Galante lightly orchestrates his work with harp, flute, and violin. These instruments add a crystalline iciness to the score that’s quite effective.
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