Music of Gregory Mertl

This disc presents a virtuoso program of new works for both large chamber ensemble and wind ensemble, performed by the University of Minnesota Wind Ensemble with soloists. Conductor Craig Kirchhoff writes: "I was drawn to Gregory Mertl's unique palette of instrumental color and timbre and his ability to seamlessly shift emotional landscapes with ease, and sometimes with shocking conviction. These dramatic shifts of emotional momentum are accompanied by striking metamorphoses of harmonic language; a language that exploits the vast and powerful sonorities of the contemporary wind ensemble in ways that are fresh and revolutionary to my ears."