Mar 13, 2016
The Matanuska-Susitna Concert Band (Gleo Huyck, director) and Sterling Maffe have just completed their second collaboration with the commission and premiere of Maffe's newest piece for symphonic wind band, "Alaska: The Crest of Hinterland."
The composer describes the piece, "['Alaska'] is a musical portrait inspired by the unparalleled majesty of our northernmost state. There are three principal illustrations throughout the piece, each accompanied by a theme. The first of these evokes the mystery of the land. It alludes to wondrous natural phenomena that can be experienced in the Great North such as the Aurora Borealis. The second theme celebrates the pioneering of the state. It conjures the excitement of the Gold Rush, and the race to the Last Frontier. The final subject is an admiration of beauty. Romantically, it depicts the vast terrain, grand mountains, and lush forests found only in the Land of the Midnight Sun."