One might wonder why this Naxos recording of
the Ohio State University Wind Symphony under the direction of
Russel C. Mikkelson is titled
Southern Harmony: Music for Wind Band. Although there is a photograph of a vintage banjo on the front cover, the title Southern Harmony is only accorded to the Donald Grantham work; the work of Dmitry Kabalevsky -- a Russian -- is decidedly Eastern, whereas John Stevens -- based at the University of Wisconsin in Madison -- is Northern, Morton Lauridsen is Western.
Aaron Copland's El Salon Mexico is placed so far south it is more southerly than was meant by the Grantham piece, which is based on shape note music as printed in a collection under that general title in 1835. Indeed, the concept doesn't apply to the whole program; however, all of the music is very strong, reasonably contemporary, and is tightly played by this expert wind ensemble. Lauridsen's O Magnum Mysterium, quite well known in its incarnation as a choral piece, is heard in a splendiferous array of wind colors by virtue of a fine arrangement by
H.R. Reynolds. The Kabalevsky and
Copland items are likewise arranged, but the Grantham and Stevens works are originals for band with the Stevens being specifically written for this ensemble. Stevens' Symphony in Three Movements is a handsome and forthright work that combines a sound sense of formal development with a strong grasp of varieties of tone color available in the wind symphony, including the percussion.
By turns splashy and reflectively still,
Southern Harmony is an outstanding wind symphony disc. Wind fans often have more expansive tastes than typical classical listeners, and there's really not much of an issue among them regarding resistance to new music. Likewise, it is not the majority of composers who write original music for band; it's a lot of work keeping track of the transposing keys of all of those instruments, their ranges, requirements, and limitations. While one may be a little hornswoggled at the choice of title, Naxos'
Southern Harmony: Music for Wind Band is a solid effort on every other front that brings all of those aspects into firm relief; a great band; outstanding, fresh literature; and a fine recording -- made at OSU's Weigel Auditorium -- that delivers all of the music up close and personal.