Naxos of America, Inc. begins distribution of Klavier Music Productions

Kelly — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:54:11 +0000

Naxos of America, Inc. announces distribution of wind band-devoted label Klavier Music Productions on June 24, 2008. The first of Klavier’s Naxos-distributed releases includes a collection of music by composer Ron Nelson whose wind band compositions span six decades of the 20th and 21st centuries. Included in the five decades of works represented on Ron Nelson: The Composer’s Voice are some of Nelson’s earliest works such as the Mayflower Overture composed in 1958, and his most recent works like Pastorale: Autumn Rune written in 2006. Other pieces included that show the breadth and depth of Nelson’s music are Fanfare for the Kennedy Center (commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and Sir Neville Marriner) and a pyrotechinally brilliant work representing the optimism the world felt at the dawn of the 21st century, Fanfare for the New Millenium. Lawrence Johnson of the Chicago Tribune has said that “Nelson’s music is ingeniously and beautifully crafted…that rarest of animals, contemporary music that is intelligently woven, fresh, audience-friendly and life-enhancing.” Ron Nelson was awarded the Medal of Honor of the John Philip Sousa Foundation in Washington, DC and an honorary doctorate from Oklahoma City University. The album concludes with a fascinating interview with Ron Nelson.This extensive survey of Nelson’s composing career is brought to life by The Keystone Wind Ensemble under the leadership of Jack Stamp. The Keystone Wind Ensemble is comprised of approximately 50 woodwind, brass, and percussion players. All members are alumni, students, faculty or administrators from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Fanfare magazine has praised the ensemble by stating that “the group plays with precise intonation and ensemble, able to tackle tricky rhythms and keep dense textures clear.”

Klavier also releases The Quest, a survey of wind band pieces from the 19th and 20th centuries performed by the acclaimed UNLV Wind Orchestra led by Thomas G. Leslie. Bruce Broughton’s Silverado Overture is taken from the Oscar-nominated score of the movie Silverado which he himself composed in 1985. The Quest suite was arranged by Vilem Tausky from William Walton’s patriotic wartime piece for ballet. The final movement of the suite is a passacaglia written in homage to Vaughan Williams. Sanctuary was composed by Frank Ticheli as a tribute to the life, career, and accomplishments of his friend and horn player H. Robert Reynolds. Inspired by the first time he saw his own shadow by moonlight, Masao Yabe’s “Tsuki-no-Utage” takes the listener to a moonlit banquet attended by the goblins and spirit of the night. Accolade by Fisher Tull is written in one continuous movement although five sections can be distinguished by changes in tempi. Each section is based on a different version of the same melody. The finale of the recording is a transcription of three stirring dances from Tchaikovsky’s opera The Maid of Orleans.The UNLV Wind Orchestra, under the baton of Thomas G. Leslie, has received international acclaim for its fresh and creative approach to music making. The ensemble has been responsible for commissioning and premiering numerous significant new works by America’s finest young composers and landmark American contemporary composers like Roger Nixon and James Barnes.

Klavier Music Productions (formerly Klavier Records International) was founded over 30 years ago by career NBC sound engineer Harold Powell. Powell believed that many of the recorded classics on the market at the time were not the quality products that they could and should have been. Therefore, he resolved to dedicate himself to improving the sound quality of recorded music. Klavier was the result of this resolution. Because of Powell’s insistence on perfection, his recordings are frequently employed by manufacturers and dealers of audio equipment to demonstrate the qualities of their products. Klavier Music Productions will continue to insist on the most faithful reproduction of sound possible and offer the listener the same realism and sense of presence as a live performance. It is this insistence that ensures the continuation of Klavier’s long-standing commitment to state-of-the-art recordings for the most discriminating listeners.

Naxos Blog » The Quest

Naxos of America, Inc. begins distribution of Klavier Music Productions