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Twisted Skyscape - new music for woodwind orchestra by British composers
ddx 21118 (Divine Art, CD)
FIRST RELEASE (13 October 2023)
Playing time: 63'24"
Tracks: 15
Booklet pages: 16
℗ 2014 Legni Classics
© 2023 Divine Art Ltd
Main country of recording: Czech Republic
Reviewer: Paul Sarcich
Review of Twisted Skyscape - new music for woodwind orchestra by British composers published on 22 November 2023
Czech Philharmonic Wind Ensemble
Shea Lolin, conductor
Philip Sparke (born 1951):
1 Overture for Woodwinds (1999)
Gary Carpenter (born 1951):
Pantomime (1995) (first recording)
2 Prologue
3 Cavatina and Polka
4 Dream Calypso and Farewell
5 Grand March (of the Chief Executive)
6 Waltz - Finale (Depravity)
Christopher Hussey (born 1974):
Dreamtide (woodwind version) (2012) (first recording)
7 Twilight's Haze
8 Wild Reality
9 A Dream within a Dream
Adam Gorb (born 1958):
Battle Symphony (1997) (first recording)
10 Flourish; Courtly Dance; Flourish (reprise)
11 Sword fighting practice; Soldiers' drunken panic; Preparation for battle; The Battle
12 Lament for the Dead; Triumphal Dance; Flourish (reprise)
Christopher Hussey:
Twisted Skyscape (2008) (first recording)
13 A Natural World
14 The Human Footprint
15 Nature's Conquest
This ground-breaking album is the first of its kind - devoted entirely to new music written for the woodwind orchestra. It features outstanding performances by the principal woodwind players of the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Shea Lolin, and includes four first recordings. The recording was made to both promote British composers and to give focus to the woodwind orchestra. This programme showcases the woodwind orchestra in all its voices: Overture for Woodwinds is bright and lyrical, while Pantomime is joyously comical with moments of heartrending nostalgia. A notable shift in the language comes with Dreamtide, which is a beautiful expression of the subconscious, with delicate and tender lines. Battle Symphony is a pictorial suite containing elements of pastiche in ten highly original sections. The album concludes with Twisted Skyscape, a vibrant and excitingly powerful piece. A second album of first performances for woodwind orchestra, Chromosphere, will be released by Divine Art early in 2024.
Recorded 25 and 26 March 2014 at Smecky Music Studios, Prague, Czech Republic.