Maslanka Symphony No. 4 — Celebrating TWE's 25th Anniversary
Evan Feldman, conductor
Sunday, April 26, 2025
4 p.m.
Cary Arts Center
When we asked our members which one piece they most wanted to perform in celebration of our 25th Season, there was one piece which stood out among the rest. David Maslanka's monumental Symphony No. 4 was the clear favorite. As the composer described it, "The central driving force is the spontaneous rise of the impulse to shout for the joy of life. I feel it is the powerful voice of the Earth that comes to me from my adopted western Montana, and the high plains and mountains of central Idaho. My personal experience of the voice is one of being helpless and torn open by the power of the thing that wants to be expressed – the welling-up shout that cannot be denied. I am set aquiver and am forced to shout and sing. The response in the voice of the Earth is the answering shout of thanksgiving, and the shout of praise."
This concert will also feature the world premiere of a newly commissioned animation by NCSU professor Marc Russo. Similar to what we did with Sheltering Sky back in 2019, we wanted to commission another animation that would engage audiences by accompanying a piece of wind band music that is easily accessible by middle school level bands. For this animation, we selected Shadows Unleashed by Brian Balmages. After this world premiere, we will make the animation available to school bands worldwide for screening at their own concerts.
