REVIEWS

"Michael Kibbe's WINTER MOODS, (opus 106, for harpsichord, violin, cello and flute) - - - proved a highly original, distinctive statement. That the 44-year-old composer's score should fare so well in the august company of works by Bach, Handel and Vivaldi is testament to his skill. WINTER MOODS exhibits vigorous, engaging rhythms, masterfully executed transitions within movements (all too rare these days) and a keen sense of pacing."
TERRY McQUILKIN, Los Angeles Times, 3/2/90

WIND QUINTET #5, "Sonic Options," opus 77, "offers - - - a surround-sound experience in which the quintet members are spotted at various points around the performing space and are asked not only to double on other instruments but, in places, to play off one another in an almost improvisatory manner. Nonetheless the music outweighed the gimmickry, pulling the players and audience alike into its innards."

WIND QUINTET #7, "In Winter," opus 98, "Here, too, one was impressed by the fluency and imagination of the writing, even among the more austere pages, something underscored by the expert blend and skillful interaction of voices." WILLIAM S. GOODFELLOW, Deseret News, 2/21/97

PIANO QUARTET IN C MINOR, "From A Romantic's Diary," opus 124.
"- - - its three sections deliver on what they promise, with swirling lyrical textures and rich sonorities. Propelled by its honest emotions, tonal harmony and, in the outer portions, an urgent rhythmic underpinning, the quartet is striking - - - for its rankness and craftsmanship - - -.
TIMOTHY MANGAN, Los Angeles Times, 2/14/95

WIND QUINTET #4, "The American," opus 71. " - - - had a healthy hint of coquettishness. There wasn't one ounce of unfriendliness in this Kibbe creation. Nor did it venture so far to the right that the most sophisticated ear could not find solace in the work's unfolding. This composition shared in the same spirit as Prokofiev's CLASSICAL SYMPHONY."
JEFF MANOOKIAN, The Salt Lake Tribune, 2/21/97

EBONY SUITE, opus 116, for three clarinets (Eb, Bb and Bass)
"Speaking of soul, there was such in the compressive, expressive EBONY SUITE, a work by Michael Kibbe, dated 1992, given its premiere during the trio's concert. Kibbe has added touches of jazz syncopation to music relatively calm for a contemporary creation. It is marked by a reflective mood, only rarely tinged with tension. - - - it favorably showcases the three soloists and gives them each some notable things to do. The trio should get a good ride out of the piece."
PETER JACOBL, The Herald-Times, 11/17/92

ARRANGEMENTS (on "Fantastic Voyage" CD by The North Wind Quintet :
"The arrangements ... are more than exemplary - they are masterful, with tone color contrast when needed and blend when the music calls for that effect ... refreshing and enjoyable - a treasure."
Jocelyn Mackey, Pan Pipes of Sigma Alpha Iota

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