Concertos / Symphony 4

CD Details

Born in 1943, David Maslanka studied composition at Oberlin and received his graduate degrees from Michigan State University where his teacher and mentor was H. Owen Reed. He has served on the faculties of the State University of New York at Geneseo, Sarah Lawrence College, and Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York. He now lives in Missoula, Montana. Maslanka has written nearly 30 major works for wind ensemble, among them five symphonies, nine concertos, a Mass, and a large variety of concert pieces. Four of the five works on this recording are world premier recordings, the one exception being Symphony No. 4, which appears on another Albany Records recording (TROY503). The Concerto for Piano, Winds and Percussion (1974-76) was Maslanka’s first work for wind ensemble. The work received its premiere three years later by the Eastman Wind Ensemble conducted by Frederick Fennell. According to Maslanka, “That fine first performance opened the door to my long and happy career of writing for winds.“ Concerto No. 2 for Piano, Winds, and Percussion is in five movements – each one songlike with a programmatic backdrop. Testament was written in response to the story of Groucho Marx dancing the Charleston on Hitler’s grave. To Maslanka this was “a defining moment in the 20th century…“ Traveler was written in 2003 to commemorate the career of Ray Lichtenwalter, the Director of Bands at the University of Texas at Arlington. It is based on the chorale melody Nicht so traurig, nicht so sehr (“Not so sad, not so much.“) According to Maslanka, “The roots of Symphony No. 4 are many. The central driving force is the spontaneous rise of the impulse to shout for the joy of life…“ Albany Records is proud to continue its commitment to the extraordinary music of David Maslanka.