Unveiling two world premiere recordings, the Syracuse University Wind Ensemble will release an album, “Angels Rising: Music of Remembrance and Light,” on Friday, Aug. 16, dedicated to the 270 lives lost in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on Dec. 21, 1988.
The album contains George Gershwin’s “An American in Paris” and “Rhapsody in Blue,” along with two pieces commissioned in remembrance of those who perished in the bombing, including 35 Syracuse University students.
The Wind Ensemble is the University’s premiere concert wind organization. Possessing an extensive history that includes a series of internationally distributed recordings, the ensemble, conducted by Professor Bradley Ethington and Associate Professor Timothy Diem in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Setnor School of Music, has commissioned dozens of works.
The Wind Ensemble performed the recently commissioned pieces, “Energy and Light” by Natalie Draper, assistant professor in the Setnor School of Music, and “Angels Rising” by Frank Ticheli, during its 2023 United Kingdom Remembrance tour, held in observance of the 35th anniversary of the bombing.
“The scale of that disaster is incredibly humbling and haunting for our community,” says composer Draper. “In addition to mourning those who were lost, it is important to remember that each of the students had a vibrant life that should also be celebrated. With that in mind, I decided to write a piece that was about energy and light—two direct components of what it means to be alive.”
Following Draper’s piece, the listener journeys through the four sections of “Angels Rising”—lament, chorale, ascent and prayer. The work ends with the everlasting question of existence, composer Ticheli notes.
The final album piece, “Rhapsody in Blue,” featuring pianist Milton Rubén Laufer, associate professor and director of the Setnor School of Music, takes the listener back in time.
“This recording, celebrating the centennial of its composition, depicts what was likely heard by the audience packing New York City’s Aeolian Hall on Feb. 12, 1924, when ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ had its premiere with Paul Whiteman’s Palais Royal Orchestra and Gershwin himself at the piano,” says Laufer.
The Navona Records release will be available in both stereo and Dolby Atmos immersive audio formats. It will be accessible for streaming on Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music.
Story by Mikayla Heiss
