A wonderful piece of music made its U.S. premiere in Muncie on Tuesday night. The Concert Series performance by the Orchester der Beethovenhalle Bonn was obviously appreciated by many of those in attendance.

The best part of the evening was the premiering piece, an amazing work commissioned from Charles Wuorinen specifically for Davies orchestra and the Rascher Saxophone Quartet. (Davies himself announced, prior to the start of the piece, that it had made its world premiere only two weeks earlier in Bonn). 

Wuorinen’s Concerto for Saxophone Quartet and Orchestra proved to be en astonishing effective mix of the blending saxophones and dramatic notes and noises from the other instruments -- artful pandemonium somehow sorting itself into an exciting, amazing piece of music. The orchestra as well as the featured quartet shone like polished brass in the concerto.