Maslanka: The River of Time

THE RIVER OF TIME, Navona Records' latest release, is a captivating tour de force by conductor Mike Fansler and the Western Illinois University Wind Ensemble. Recorded by legendary engineer Bruce Leek - whose recording portfolio includes the President's Own Marine Band - this album captures the full emotive intensity of one of America's finest collegiate ensembles. The album begins with composer David Maslanka's O Earth O Stars - Music for Flute, Cello & Wind Ensemble. The first movement, "Chorale," opens like the canopy of the night sky before us, as it takes it's melody from J. S. Bach's reverent "Jesu, meine Freude," or "Jesus my joy." As the album progresses, Fansler adeptly pilots his musicians through tight dynamic shifts, breathtaking melodic modulations, and razor-sharp releases. "Dragons and Devils of the Heart," the fourth movement, is a raucous and enthralling adventure; the music soars and dives with cinematic grandeur. O Earth O Stars ends with another chorale, providi