UPEI Wind Symphony releases fifteenth CD

The UPEI Wind Symphony has released its latest CD, 'Four Horsemen,' a compilation of selected works from performances during the 2012-13 academic year. Recorded live in UPEI's Dr. Steel Recital Hall, this CD features many contemporary wind band pieces including works by two emerging Canadian composers.

The CD begins with Dmitri Shostakovich's 'Festive Overture,' a masterpiece by this Russian composer, consisting of an opening fanfare followed by driving, energetic, and lyrical themes. UPEI's composition professor Dr. Richard Covey was commissioned to write a piece for the Wind Symphony with funding from the PEI Council of the Arts, which was premiered during the fall semester. This piece expands upon the general style of a fanfare, exploring different perspectives of the 'majestic' through contrasting musical gestures and stylistic features.

The title track 'Four Horsemen' was written by MUN composition professor Andrew Staniland. It's derived from the four horsemen of the apocalypse, which is described in The Bible's Book of Revelation. Staniland drew inspiration from the four corners of the earth, four horsemen and four angels, interpreting them beyond their caricature roles, echoing an ancient knowledge about astronomy and celestial movement that set his creativity alight. The resulting piece is a fierce yet inquisitive modern work that is more about the joy and inspiration of scientific knowledge than about an apocalyptic vision of the end of the world.

UPEI saxophone instructor Kevin MacLean is the featured soloist with his rendition of Claude T. Smith's 'Fantasia,' which exploits the technical and lyrical elements of the saxophone. Other significant contemporary pieces include David Maslanka's 'Traveler' and David Sampson's 'Moving Parts.'

This is the fifteenth CD recorded by the UPEI Wind Symphony, all under the direction of Dr. Karem J. Simon. Copies are now available for purchase at the UPEI Bookstore.