"Festive Overture" (D. Shostakovich) - Performed by The Indiana University Wind Ensemble (2007)

As a student at a major music school, one has the privilege of performing with amazing young musicians. The student wind ensemble at Indiana University plays this recording of Dmitri Shostakovich's "Festive Overture" with myself on tenor saxophone. What an honor it was playing in an ensemble of this caliber. This is such an extraordinary work, and the wind ensemble lived up to the challenge.

Written for the 30th anniversary of the Russian October Revolution in 1947, this is a very well-known work in the standard literature. The overture, originally scored for orchestra and later for concert band in 1965, begins with a fanfare in the brass, followed by a fast melody in the winds. The clarinets take up this melody and the piece reaches a climax with a four-note motif. Suddenly, the music reaches a more lyrical melody in the horns and lower voices, although the tempo remains the same. Shostakovich develops this material in his typical style, using both themes in counterpoint, before the fanfare returns and leads to a rousing coda.
*The Indiana University Wind Ensemble
Stephen Pratt - conductor

Recorded live at IU Auditorium, Indiana University - February 2007

Видео "Festive Overture" (D. Shostakovich) - Performed by The Indiana University Wind Ensemble (2007) канала GerryAmatoMusic