Symphony VIII (Maslanka)

From Wind Repertory Project
David Maslanka

David Maslanka


General Info

Year: 2008
Duration: c. 43:00
Difficulty: VII (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Carl Fischer
Cost: Score and Parts - Rental   |   Score Only - $174.00


Movements

1. Moderate – Very Fast - 14:10
2. Moderate - 14:30
3. Moderate – Very Fast – Moderate – Very Fast - 13:30


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Bass Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III (I dbl Piccolo)
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Piano
Timpani
Percussion I-II-III-IV-V, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bongos
  • Chimes
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Crotales
  • Marimba
  • Orchestra Chimes
  • Slapstick
  • Snare Drum
  • Tam-Tam
  • Tenor Drum
  • Tom-Tom
  • Triangle (2)
  • Vibraphone
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

Symphony No. 8 is in three distinct movements, but the musical layout suggests a single large-scale panoramic vista.

I began the composition process for this symphony with meditation, and was shown scenes of widespread devastation. But this music is not about the surface of our world problems. It is a response to a much deeper vital creative flow which is forcefully at work, and which will carry us through our age of crisis. This music is a celebration of life. It is about new life, continuity from the past to the future, great hope, great faith, joy, ecstatic vision, and fierce determination.

The old is continually present in the new. The first movement touches the “Gloria” from my Mass: “Glory to God in the highest,” whatever that may mean to you: the power of the universe made manifest to us and through us. The second movement is a large fantasia on the old Lutheran chorale melody Jesu meine Freude (Jesus My Joy). The life of Christ is one powerful image of the high creative: being willing to be broken to receive the new; giving oneself up entirely so that a new idea can be born. The old form of the organ chorale prelude underlies this movement – new language out of the old.

The third movement is a music of praise and gratitude for all that is. It can be traced to the very end of the favorite old hymn tune All Creatures of Our God and King -- the part with the joyous descending major scale where all the bells ring out. I recently used this tune for a set of variations in a piece called Unending Stream of Life, a name which could also be a fitting subtitle for this new symphony.

- Program Note by composer


Media


State Ratings

  • Florida: VI


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • San Francisco Wind Symphony (Saratoga, Calif.) (Martin H. Seggelke, conductor) – May 13, 2023
  • South Bay Wind Ensemble (El Segundo, Calif.) (Steven Allen Fox, conductor) - 28 January 2023
  • University of California (Berkeley) University Wind Ensemble (Matthew Sadowski, conductor) - 1 May 2022
  • Indiana University (Bloomington) Wind Ensemble (Rodney Dorsey, conductor) - 2 November 2021
  • Windhaven Wind Orchestra (Weston, Ver.) (Thomas McCauley, conductor) - 5 June 2021
  • Arkansas Tech University (Russellville) Symphonic Wind Ensemble (Daniel A. Belongia, conductor) – 28 April 2019
  • Charles River Wind Ensemble (Boston, Mass.) (Matthew M. Marsit, conductor) – 10 March 2019
  • University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) Symphony Band (Michael Haithcock, conductor) – 8 February 2019
  • Utah Wind Symphony (Salt Lake City) (Scott Hagen, conductor) – 8 February 2018
  • Cedar Park (Tex.) Winds Community Band (Jerry Junkin, conductor) - 20 December 2017 (2017 Midwest Clinic)
  • Michigan State University (East Lansing) Wind Symphony (Gary Green, conductor) – 26 October 2017
  • University of North Texas (Denton) Wind Symphony (Nicholas Enrico Williams, conductor) – 28 September 2017
  • Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge) Symphonic Winds (Dennis Llinás, conductor) – 24 April 2017
  • University of Texas (Austin) Wind Ensemble (Jerry Junkin, conductor) – 30 April 2017
  • Cornell University (Ithaca, N.Y.) Wind Symphony (James Spinazzola, conductor) – 19 March 2017
  • Eastman School of Music (Rochester, N.Y.) Wind Ensemble (Mark Scatterday, conductor) – 23 September 2016
  • University of Georgia (Athens) Hodgson Wind Ensemble (Cynthia Johnston Turner, conductor) – 22 January 2016
  • Hodgson Winds (University of Georgia, Athens) (Cynthia Johnston Turner, conductor) – 12 November 2015
  • Lillestrøm Musikkorps (Norway) (Trond Myhre, conductor) – 2014


Works for Winds by This Composer


Resources

  • David Maslanka website
  • Maslanka, D. (2008). Symphony No. 8: For Wind Ensemble [score]. Carl Fischer: New York.
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