The Quest
"The Quest is 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. Vile Tausky arranged The
Quest Suite from William Walton’s patriotic wartime piece forballet. The final
movement of the suite isa passacaglia written in homage to VaughanWilliams.
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." - ArkivMusik, June 2011
"Klavier 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." - Naxos Online Magazine, June 2015
"More symphonic band music here, again engineer Bruce Leek has demonstrated an uncanny talent and ability to capture the space occupied by a large ensemble. The UNLV Wind Orchestra is similar to the Stanford University Symphonic Winds that I regularly record, which is to say an ensemble of college music students who regularly perform for their home audience and tour around the world. “The Quest” is comprised of a wide variety of music from Bruce Broughton’s overture for the western film “Silverado” to Tchaikovsky’s “Three Dances From the Maid of Orleans” to William Walton’s ballet “The Quest.” Rounding out the program are pieces by Frank Ticheli, Masao Yabe and Fisher Tull. This is all good stuff and the performance is polished indeed. The sound, like that of the United States Air Force Band recording, reviewed above, is first rate. ….another winner….." - The Audiophile Voice Magazine, Volume XIII, Issue II, 2009
"This program opens with two big, cinematic works. Bruce Broughton's Overture to Silverado, his first film score and an Oscar-nominated one, is lusty and brawling and owes much to John Williams. And William Walton's Quest is a ballet score from 1943, heard here in a suite by Vilem Tausky and an arrangement for band by Steven Capaldo. Then comes Frank Ticheli's Sanctuary, wistful though n o t without drama, a tribute to one of the deans of the university band world, H Robert Reynolds. Masao Yabe was dazzled by moonlight when h e composed Tsuki-no-Utage, giving it a program involving clouds and spirits. Fisher Tull's 'Accolade' is full of his usual technical displays. The album ends with John Bourgeois's setting of three dances from Tchaikovsky's Maid of Orleans.
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The UNLV Wind Ensemble is a very impressive group with no apparent weak links. When individuals are heard in intimate moments, they sound very good. But I have to wonder about the engineering, because nowhere is there even a hint of shrillness. At the biggest moments, when all of these college players are working hard, we would expect to notice some bright sounds from instruments like trumpets and piccolo. It's as if a sonic makeup artist has powdered the blemishes." -
American Record Guide, Independent Critics Reviewing Classical Recordings and Performances, November/December, 2008
"It is always a pleasure to hear the UNLV Wind Orchestra and this new release will definitely please the listener. The title work is from the suite by William Walton, which was prepared with the composer’s permission by Vilem Tausky. Dr. Steven J. Capaldo tastefully transcribed this music for wind orchestra. The overture to the film score Silverado (Broughton/Morsch) is also included as well as Three Dances from the Maid of Orleans (Tchaikovsky/Bourgeois). A trio of original band works appear on the recording: Sanctuary (Ticheli), Accolade (Tull), and a very imamginative portrait of the moon and moonlight by Masao Yabe entity led Symphonic Dance “Tsuki-no-Atage”. A lot of fine effort and professionalism go into each UNV Wind Orchestra recording as you will hear for yourself." - Bandworld Magazine, January 2008