Naxos' Wind Band Classics series has exposed some of the top-notch music-making being achieved by American ensembles in this rather undervalued medium, and this disc, by the Lone Star Wind Orchestra of the University of North Texas (the primary conservatory location in the giant Texas university system), makes a good sample purchase for the series. The technical proficiency of the band is startling, as can be heard from the beginning in their flawless rendition of John Williams' ornate arrangement of the "Star-Spangled ...
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Naxos' Wind Band Classics series has exposed some of the top-notch music-making being achieved by American ensembles in this rather undervalued medium, and this disc, by the Lone Star Wind Orchestra of the University of North Texas (the primary conservatory location in the giant Texas university system), makes a good sample purchase for the series. The technical proficiency of the band is startling, as can be heard from the beginning in their flawless rendition of John Williams' ornate arrangement of the "Star-Spangled Banner." The program is likewise accomplished in its thinking. The idea of veteran director Eugene Migliaro Corporon is to break down the wall between familiar music and contemporary compositions by bludgeoning it: he juxtaposes universal standards lke Rhapsody in Blue and the Washington Post March with newly composed music, mostly by composers with some connection to North Texas. The vaguely funky Radiant Joy of Steven Bryant may be the most persuasive of these, but the general method...
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