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Site review by Geohominid June 1, 2009
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Performance: Sonics (S/MC): / |
Organ and brass go well together, especially in ceremonial and festive music. Although a number of the expected favourites from the Baroque are here, Rolf Smedvig (founder and leader of Empire Brass and author of most of the arrangements) has been more adventurous than many similar compilations by including much less-heard music. Indeed, some of it, like the Bach keyboard Fantasie and Handel's Op.1 violin sonatas, seem truly unlikely material for such glorification.
Here is the programme:
1. Purcell: Rondeau from Abdelazer 2:17
2. J.S. Bach: Fantaisie in C major, BWV 570 2:43
3. Telemann - Concerto in G major: Allegro 2:24
4. Telemann - Concerto in G major: Sicilienne 2:20
5. Telemann - Concerto in G major: Allegro 2:11
6. Handel - Sonata da Camera: Adagio 2:44
7. Handel - Sonata da Camera: Allegro 2:01
8. Handel - Sonata da Camera: Largo 3:13
9. Handel - Sonata da Camera: Allegro 1:41
10. Campra: Rigaudon from Idomenee 2:43
11. J.S. Bach: Contrapunctus I fromThe Art of Fugue 4:22
12. Handel: Allegro from Oboe Concerto No. 1 in B-flat major, HWV 301 1:44
13. Pachelbel: Fantasia in D minor 2:34
14. Purcell: Overture and Allegro from King Arthur 2:54
15. Purcell: March from The Married Beau 1:36
16. Albinoni: Fantaisie (Allegro) 3:59
17. Clarke: Trumpet Voluntary 2:57
18. Clarke: The Prince of Denmark's March 1:21
19. Charpentier: Prelude from Te Deum in D major 2:31
20. J.S. Bach: Opening Movement from A Might Fortress Is Our God, BWV 80 6:09
The fame and skill of Empire Brass are well-known, and they certainly dominate the proceedings. The Luther College's organ is a pretty ordinary beast, and we mostly hear it pretty much in full cry, underpinning the brass and certainly helping to create a majestic combination in the celebratory pieces. Elsewhere, especially in the slower or polyphonic music, it has little to do, apart from brief (and often distracting) interpolations, where its mixtures sound quite wheezy against the gleaming and sonorous brass instruments, spoiling their line. There are also some passages in which the tuning of the upper partials on the organ is in contention with the brass.
Virtuosic solos, especially of the trumpets, are performed with excellent articulation and skill, and by far the best pieces are the quick movements, where a real sense of Baroque splendour is achieved, e.g. in the Purcell and Charpentier. The players certainly have a wide dynamic range, except that it starts at loud and gets louder. In the slow movements of the suites, for example, the composers original quiet dynamics are ignored, so we are not given any moments of real repose in the programme. Brass instruments can sound breathtakingly moving when played softly, but we are not afforded this privilege.
The playing style of these slower movements is also certainly not Baroque, but very C19th, with saccharine ultra-legatos, very long phrasing and marked expressive swelling. Despite the brilliant and lively rhythms of some fast pieces, e.g. in the Telemann arrangements, other movements are played with stodgy and four-square rhythms - the King Arthur Overture is particularly affected.
One expects a sonic spectacular from Telarc with such forces, and the surround sound is certainly effective, with the instrumental timbres very true. The organ, however, is more closely recorded than the brass, which is given the full measure of the Luther College Hall resonance. When the organ has an interpolated section, it jumps forward, well in front of the brass, which I found unnatural and distracting. Deep pedal notes, however, give an excellent foundation for the almost orchestral sound.
For many listeners, I am sure this disc will do its job, of providing colourful and loud renditions of good Baroque tunes, conveying at least the splendour of Baroque, if not its other aspects. They will not hesitate to brush aside my own caveats about this disc, but I have heard much better encounters between brass and organ.
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Copyright © 2009 John Miller and SA-CD.net
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