For those who don't know (and that's probably everybody), I'll be attempting to write my first wind ensemble piece for the Xavier University Symphonic Wind Ensemble (woot!). I have to admit, I'm a little intimidated by it (what do you do with all that...color?), but I'm up for the challenge.
I asked four people for suggestions on what I should listen to/what they like, so in the next few days I'll be posting their suggestions. (Of course, only two people responded to my request, so this may be a *very* short series.)
Obvious first person to ask: the director of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble himself, Matthew Westgate.
Here are his suggestions:
Symphonies of Wind Instruments - Stravinsky
Gran Partita "Serenade in Bb" - Mozart
Serenade Opus. 44 - Dvorak
Music for Prague - Husa
Lincolnshire Posy - Grainger
Chorali - Sallinen
Symphony in Bb - Hindemith
Kammermusik No. 1 - Hindemith
Dionysiaques - Schmitt
Magnum Mysterium - Lauridsen
An American Elegy - Ticheli
A Movement for Rosa - Camphouse
Waking Angels - Gillingham
Pageant - Persichetti
Any music by Robert Russell Bennett for orchestration
Um, did Lauridsen arrange his choral piece into a band piece? Did someone else arrange it? I mean, how many more royalties can he earn? I thought he already had his small island off the coast of Washington state. For realz.
Anyway, let's hope my local library has these scores available.