UPEI Wind Symphony—World Premiere
The UPEI Wind Symphony will perform its final recital of the fall semester on Thursday, November 22 at 7:30 pm at UPEI's Dr. Steel Recital Hall. This program will feature an eclectic variety of outstanding contemporary works for the modern wind band designed to engage the audience and showcase its unique sounds.
Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovitch's 'Festive Overture' will open the performance. Written in 1954, this work is a favourite of the orchestral repertoire as it is noted for its opening fanfare and rapid, lyrical melodies.
'Traveler,' by the American composer David Maslanka, is the centrepiece of the program. An emotional and virtuosic work, listeners will be immediately captured by its cascading runs, colourful orchestration, and spiritual melodies.
Saxophonist Kevin MacLean is soloist in the performance of Claude T. Smith's 'Fantasia.'
This work exploits the technical and lyrical capabilities of the saxophone. MacLean is UPEI's sessional saxophone instructor and is known for his body of work as a soloist and chamber musician. He has been featured with the Prince Edward Island Symphony Orchestra.
Among the highlights of this recital will be the world premiere performance of Richard Covey's 'Maestoso.' This work was commissioned by the Wind Symphony with the assistance of a grant from the PEI Council of the Arts. A dramatic piece, 'Maestoso' explores different perspectives of what it means to be ‘majestic,' through distinct musical gestures and stylistic features. With regard to musical texture, phrasing and character, this piece provides unique interpretations of standard wind ensemble conventions found throughout the existing literature. The result is a fresh, exciting, highly expressive, and technically challenging piece of music for wind band. Dr. Covey is a sessional instructor of theory and composition at UPEI.
The Wind Symphony will conclude the evening with Charles Ives' 'Variations On America.' Ives was only 17 when he wrote this work for organ. It has been popularized as a result of transcriptions for orchestra and wind band. This piece presents five variations each with its unique character.
This year's UPEI Wind Symphony consists of 24 music majors, other UPEI students, and community musicians. Its mandate is to provide opportunities for its participants to apply their performance skills and develop musically through the study and performance of original and transcribed wind band literature. In addition, it is a forum through which professional attributes of ensemble performance are developed. It is within its mission to give its audiences meaningful and personal experiences with quality wind music, in the widest possible range of musical style and expression. The Wind Symphony has one two-hour rehearsal each week.
Each year the Wind Symphony tours selected areas of the region to provide its membership with additional performance experiences and share its music with a wider audience. As part of this process, it has partnered with most of PEI's school band programmes. Recent performances in Montague, Summerside, and Saint John, NB were favourably received.
During the past 14 years the Wind Symphony has produced an annual compact disc featuring selected repertoire from each year's performances. 'Cathedrals,' released in May 2010, received the 2011 Music PEI Award for Best Classical Recording. In February 2011, the Wind Symphony released its 'O Canada' CD, a project exclusively for PEI public schools. Its most recent CDs-'Freebirds,' (2011) and 'Lord of the Rings' (2012)-have been highly acclaimed.
Recent performances of the UPEI Wind Symphony have generated much interest with capacity audiences filling UPEI's recital hall. While tickets may be available at the door, advance purchase is recommended.
