Desert Roads

Maslanka's wind ensemble writing is highly prized among college and university bands. One young fan asked if Maslanka had ever written a clarinet concerto. No one has asked, said he. I'm asking, said she, and Desert Roads for clarinet and wind ensemble was underway. Since its premiere in 2005 (Margaret Dees, clarinet, and Dallas Wind Symphony), Desert Roads has been programmed by many major university wind ensembles, and has been recorded by the Illinois State University Wind Ensemble (Stephen Steele, cond.). A thorough discussion of the work became a doctoral thesis by Joshua Mietz. We now present the work in piano reduction.