Alarcon/ st Thomas Symphonic Wind Ensemble - Other SideWith a tally of more than ninety commissioned works for band, Matthew George and the Minnesota based University of St. Thomas Symphonic Wind Ensemble are blazing the trail in spurring new works for the medium. The Other Side is the seventh installment on their ongoing UST Symphonic Wind Ensemble Commissioning Series. This golden volume has something for everyone: symphonic Romanticism, allusions to Surrealism and Abstract Art, and virtuosic solos

combining with the violin to evoke a profound sense of serenity

From a performance at the 2015 Valletta International Baroque Festival in Malta

Tracks such as "Fabrication of Silence" and "Submerged Dragon" perfectly represent the power of absence

who had an intimate knowledge of DeBussy's Pelléas et Mélisande

Interludes expand to become development sections in which important things happen

" "I Didn't Mean a Word I Said

but all adhering to the absurdly high standards of song-craft that Donaldson hews to

creativity and spontaneity while paying due respect to the integrity of the historical masterpieces

and of course the extensive 'Turkish' episode in the final movement (probably based on Hungarian folk music)

He is the founder of D'Angelo Brands and Steelback Brewery and is host to The Being Frank Show

Kai Winding

The debut of the Taracea ensemble creates a bridge between past and present