Peabody Conservatory composer Elam Sprenkle is represented by two works, including the CD's opening Three Fanfares. While the first of these sounds a bit uncomfortably close to Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man (with a very similar ascending figure, albeit sans percussion), the work makes a convincing impact. The Coplandesque opening fanfare is contrasted with a second one full of spiky rhythms, and a third that begins with a lyrical statement, but closes more assertively. The other Sprenkle work, a setting of six poems of Emily Dickinson for mezzo-soprano and brass quintet, closed the CD. Sprenkle states that he has always admired the simplicity of approach in Dickinson's poetry. Given that, he was careful not to get in the way of the texts in his setting of them, but to, as he puts it, "frame them." Like the Fanfares, these settings are very tonal (possibly utilizing key signatures), but are utterly charming in their direct appeal. Elaine Bonazzi has a full, rich voice which she uses to project the texts in splendid fashion. I could listen to her for hours on end, such is the quality of her vocal production. Interestingly, two strictly instrumental duet movements give the singer a break in this eight-movement song cycle.
Jerzy Sapieyevski, whose Mercury Concerto, a concerto for viola and winds, and whose Morpheus were all recorded on various LP labels, is represented here by his Aesop Suite. Trained in his native Poland, Sapieyevski emigrated to the U.S. in 1967, and he currently serves on the faculty of the American University in Washington, DC. Aesop Suite was jointly commissioned by the Annapolis Brass Quintet and the Brass Chamber Music Society of Annapolis, and the commission specified a work with narrator. The composer conceived the work as a kind of dialogue between narrator and ensemble, using five of the timeless tales of Aesop as a foundation. From its opening declamation, the work is spunky and spritely, and a delightful confection of magic and mystery. Play this one for your children, and see if they (and the adults in the room) are not all completely captivated. The precision of ensemble playing by the Annapolis Brass Quintet in this virtuosic music must not pass without kudos.
California composer George Heussenstamm, whose single-movement Ensembles for Brass Quintet as offered herein, is a composer new to me. He is likely best-known in the brass world, since more than a quarter of his 80 published works are for various brass instruments. The work has several contrasting sections and moods that keep the listener's interest sustained throughout its quarter-hour duration. The tonal language of this work is a notch or two more advanced than its disc-mates, but will not offend most ears not tuned to the music of this century. To my ears, its interest came partly through its distinctive harmonic language, and his occasional use of Pointillism, as well as through many effects, which include swoops in the various instruments, cup mutes, and a very novel sound that resembled a laugh coming through a trumpet. The ending is also humorous and wraps up the work very aptly.
Robert Starer is probably the best-known composer featured in this recital (Douglas Allanbrook might be a close second), and one about whom biographical details are probably unnecessary here. His Annapolis Suite combines the standard brass quintet with harp, a combination of instruments I do not recall having heard previously. The rarity of this combination is a bit surprising, given its effectiveness. The six movements employ contrasting moods in lengths ranging from a minute and a half to about three minutes. The harp is often given solo chords or passage work that alternate with activity in the quintet, but also is combined with the ensemble a good bit of the time. I especially liked the low glissando in the harp against the brass figures in the first movements. There are occasions, however, that he uses the harp coloristically, as in the beginning of the fourth movement, Molto allegro. In short, this is a most imaginative and unique work.
The Night and Morning Music by Douglas Allanbrook is another nice discovery. It is generally a bit more subdued in tone than its disc mates, although during the course of its 14-minute duration does work up some dramatic climaxes. The structure of this work will not reveal itself on a single hearing, but the piece is worthy of repeated listening to sort it all out. There is a whiff of Stravinsky in his last (dodecaphonic) period residing in the pages of this work, although Allanbrook remains his own man.
The Annapolis Brass Quintet is an unquestionably superb ensemble, whose meticulous playing, flair, and intonation simply cannot be bettered. I hadn't realized until I read the notes that the group was the first full-time ensemble of its kind in the U.S. The collaborative artists are likewise uniformly superb. The music they have chosen for this recital is all first-rate, and I have no hesitation in giving this CD a very high recommendation--not only to brass enthusiasts.
Reviewer: David DeBoor Canfield
Jerzy Sapieyevski, whose Mercury Concerto, a concerto for viola and winds, and whose Morpheus were all recorded on various LP labels, is represented here by his Aesop Suite. Trained in his native Poland, Sapieyevski emigrated to the U.S. in 1967, and he currently serves on the faculty of the American University in Washington, DC. Aesop Suite was jointly commissioned by the Annapolis Brass Quintet and the Brass Chamber Music Society of Annapolis, and the commission specified a work with narrator. The composer conceived the work as a kind of dialogue between narrator and ensemble, using five of the timeless tales of Aesop as a foundation. From its opening declamation, the work is spunky and spritely, and a delightful confection of magic and mystery. Play this one for your children, and see if they (and the adults in the room) are not all completely captivated. The precision of ensemble playing by the Annapolis Brass Quintet in this virtuosic music must not pass without kudos.
California composer George Heussenstamm, whose single-movement Ensembles for Brass Quintet as offered herein, is a composer new to me. He is likely best-known in the brass world, since more than a quarter of his 80 published works are for various brass instruments. The work has several contrasting sections and moods that keep the listener's interest sustained throughout its quarter-hour duration. The tonal language of this work is a notch or two more advanced than its disc-mates, but will not offend most ears not tuned to the music of this century. To my ears, its interest came partly through its distinctive harmonic language, and his occasional use of Pointillism, as well as through many effects, which include swoops in the various instruments, cup mutes, and a very novel sound that resembled a laugh coming through a trumpet. The ending is also humorous and wraps up the work very aptly.
Robert Starer is probably the best-known composer featured in this recital (Douglas Allanbrook might be a close second), and one about whom biographical details are probably unnecessary here. His Annapolis Suite combines the standard brass quintet with harp, a combination of instruments I do not recall having heard previously. The rarity of this combination is a bit surprising, given its effectiveness. The six movements employ contrasting moods in lengths ranging from a minute and a half to about three minutes. The harp is often given solo chords or passage work that alternate with activity in the quintet, but also is combined with the ensemble a good bit of the time. I especially liked the low glissando in the harp against the brass figures in the first movements. There are occasions, however, that he uses the harp coloristically, as in the beginning of the fourth movement, Molto allegro. In short, this is a most imaginative and unique work.
The Night and Morning Music by Douglas Allanbrook is another nice discovery. It is generally a bit more subdued in tone than its disc mates, although during the course of its 14-minute duration does work up some dramatic climaxes. The structure of this work will not reveal itself on a single hearing, but the piece is worthy of repeated listening to sort it all out. There is a whiff of Stravinsky in his last (dodecaphonic) period residing in the pages of this work, although Allanbrook remains his own man.
The Annapolis Brass Quintet is an unquestionably superb ensemble, whose meticulous playing, flair, and intonation simply cannot be bettered. I hadn't realized until I read the notes that the group was the first full-time ensemble of its kind in the U.S. The collaborative artists are likewise uniformly superb. The music they have chosen for this recital is all first-rate, and I have no hesitation in giving this CD a very high recommendation--not only to brass enthusiasts.
Reviewer: David DeBoor Canfield