Matthew Lien - Bleeding Wolves (Reissue 2005) [SACD]

Bleeding Wolves is a collection of epic pieces full of texture & colour, which celebrate the beauty of nature, life & love. The title is both a reference to the Yukon government's wolf kill program (euphemistically dubbed the "caribou enhancement program") & a metaphor for some of the more cataclysmic dealings of humankind upon the natural world, which are reflected throughout the album with moving orchestrations.
Bleeding Wolves involved more than 30 musicians, with instrumentation ranging from piano, to Uilleann bagpipes, to wire harp, to orchestral & other instruments. Styles range from celtic ("Flying Squirrel Creek" & "Tears Over Shetland"), to European folk ("Before the War"), from world ("& Then There Were None"), to light jazz ("These Wings"), & from love songs ("Bressanone") to classical ("Of Strength & Sorrow").
The musicians on this album are of the highest calibre, including such renowned artists as Peter Sprague, Fred Benedetti, Bob Magnusson, & Mike Keneally. The album was recorded at Signature Sound in San Diego & mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.