Winnipeg Wind Ensemble - Saturn Sky - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

In our 13 year history, the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble has been involved in two prior recording projects. The first, a compilation of graded literature for use by school bands, was conducted by Glenn D. Price and underwritten by St. John's Music Ltd. The second was a demo recording of band arrangements and transcriptions by Texas music Harold Gore. When the idea came up for the band to make a third recording, we decided that the repertoire should be chosen from our recent concert programs and represent a variety of styles and moods. Each member of the band was asked to fill out a survey naming their ten favourite selections performed over the past four years. Through this democratic process came a rather eclectic mix of works; some lighter some heavier, some older, and some newly written, such as the evocative title work, Saturn Sky Sunrise, composed by one of the ensemble's own members and premièred by the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble. Some are transcriptions and some are original works for band. Many of the selections are familiar standards in the repertoire, while others are less known. Our wish is that the music be entertaining, exciting, and representative of what can be accomplished when talented players with a love of music unite for a common purpose. Enjoy! Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), one of this century's most remarkable musicians, was a charismatic figure from the time he became the first American born conductor of a major American symphony orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, until his death in 1990. Bernstein seemed to express such unparalleled vitality in so many capacities - composer, conductor, pianist, and above all, teacher - someone with the gift of communicating and making music more accessible. The sparkling Overture to Candide (1957), transcribed by Clare Grundman (1913 - 1996), is frequently performed and ably reflects the brash op