The U’s Wind Ensemble released its first two CDs under the direction of professor and conductor Scott Hagen.
Although the CDs, “The Music of David Maslanka: Volume 2” and “Gemini,” are not directly related, they were both released on Nov. 13. The albums represent more than five years of work and the labor of performers and composers from more than 30 universities.
“It was really exciting. We’re real proud of both CDs,” Hagen said. “It’s going to bring a lot of notoriety to the School of Music.”
The 60-member Wind Ensemble is comprised of both undergraduate and graduate students. The ensemble recorded both albums at the U in the Libby Gardner Concert Hall.
The feature piece from “The Music of David Maslanka” is “Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble.” Hagen and his wife, Myroslava, who features in the piece as a clarinet soloist, commissioned the concerto. The ensemble’s recording and performance of the piece in February was the worldwide premiere of the concerto.
“It really puts us on the map,” said Miguel Chuaqui, director of the U’s School of Music. “The first realization of the piece is what everyone is going to listen to. All these other wind ensembles across the country who contributed to the project are going to play the piece as well and now they have the CD to go from.”
David Maslanka is a composer from Montana who works prominently with wind ensembles. He has hundreds of compositions to his name, including seven symphonies, 15 concertos and more than 40 pieces for wind ensembles. He stayed in Utah for a week while perfecting the piece, working directly with Hagen and the ensemble. It is only the second CD of Maslanka’s music ever released.
“It was definitely a grueling and intensive week of recording,” said Sam Noyce, a senior in French and music education, who plays the clarinet. “It was really cool to have the composer there with us to provide immediate feedback, and it really pushed us to our limit.”
Hagen worked with his team to master the CD in New York. Naxos Records, a classical music record label, is distributing the album.
“Gemini” started as a project between Hagen and Adam Frey, a prominent euphonium soloist. They later brought in Jeff Nelson, a professor and French horn player who has performed with the New York Philharmonic and National Symphony Orchestra. The team commissioned the title track “Gemini” from Tony DiLorenzo, a composer and trumpet player who has scored several feature films and various other works. The album was originally recorded about five years ago, but soloists’ input and the process of mastering the recordings delayed the CD’s release.
The Wind Ensemble hopes to continue producing CDs in the future. The two albums will be available on iTunes and Amazon and at the Marriott Library.
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