"The KU Wind Ensemble has appeared on several other Naxos CDs. It is undoubtedly one of the top such ensembles in the United States, and the talent on display here is of professional quality. Conductor Paul W. Popiel leads crisp, precise, and idiomatic performances, drawing the best out of his young players. Thank goodness for conductors such as Popiel, who keep the wind ensemble repertoire growing, and who encourage innovation. In the Glass, soloist Ji Hye Jung…and Gwendolyn Burgett…are no less impressive." --Fanfare, May 2014
Philip Glass’ Concerto Fantasy for Two Timpanists and Orchestra, composed in 2000 and transcribed for wind ensemble by Mark Lortz in 2004, is a significant addition to the repertoire of large-scale works for timpani. The work is rhythmically galvanizing, sonically alluring, and features virtuoso cadenzas for both soloists. Symphony No 4 ‘In the Shadow of No Towers’ is Mohammed Fairouz’s first major work for wind ensemble, and its inspiration is the provocative comic book by Art Spiegelman, written shortly after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Spiegelman himself has commented: “I’m moved by [this] scary, somber, and seriously silly symphony…I’m honored that the composer found an echo in my work that allowed him to strike a responsive chord and express his own complex responses to post 9/11 America. He emerges from the rubble with a very tony piece of high-brow cartoon music.
