Beethoven Arrangements for Brass Ensemble
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Ludwig van Beethoven
Label: Philips
Magazine Review Date: 11/1990
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 55
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 426 487-2PH
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Symphony No. 5 |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Canadian Brass Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
| Wellingtons Sieg, '(Die) Schlacht bei Vittoria' |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Canadian Brass Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
| Egmont, Movement: Overture |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Canadian Brass Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer |
Author: Ivan March
The credits of this CD refer also to members of the Boston Symphony and New York Philharmonic Orchestras, but these 'extras' are brass players, so this entire programme is presented on a brass group, augmented in the symphony and in Wellington's Victory (or ''Battle Symphony''). The problems of presenting such a programme seriously on a brass ensemble are manifold and I quote the comments of several of the participants, as expressed in the notes: ''Brass sound is such an intense sound, it can become monotonous unless it is regulated''... ''How do you make a trumpet sound like an oboe?''... ''And although we have four octaves on every instrument and can reverse roles, it doesn't mean that putting the tuba in the trombone range is necessarily going to produce the desired result''... ''Of course we aren't trying to pretend to be a symphony orchestra. We are trying to offer another perspective on the music.'' And this recording certainly does that.
The inner detail of the part-writing is remarkably clear and while the overall effect is essentially more robust than with an orchestral texture, and dynamic range is more limited (as is demonstrated in the expansion into the climax which heralds the triumphant opening of the finale of the Fifth) nevertheless the music-making is undoubtedly compelling, especially when the easy bravura of the players is always put at the service of the composer. Georg Tintner's reading of the main work is impressive. The first movement has both excitement and grip, the melody of the Andante sings, although the opening on the tuba takes a little adjusting to at first, even though it is beautifully shaped. The lower brass are very impressive in their running passages in the scherzo (which tax even orchestral double-basses) and the only movement that might seemingly have had even more impetus is the finale, and even that does not really disappoint.
The programme begins with the Egmont Overture and the fat sonorities at the opening chords offer a rich parallel with the orchestral effect. The lyrical running passages of the allegro bring attractive interchanges which certainly don't lack colour and the emphatic fanfare which is so striking on the horns in the orchestral version is just as telling here. Surprisingly the one work where one does miss the orchestral colour is the piece one would have thought most suited to such a transcription, the so-called ''Battle Symphony''. The opposing armies line up engagingly, but then the small arms effects of the battle itself are half-hearted and poorly focused; even the final ''Sieges-Symphony'' has sounded more uninhibitedly triumphant elsewhere.
The recording itself is undoubtedly in the demonstration class with the brass sonorities richly captured throughout the spectrum, yet detail is always clearly defined and the playing throughout has the sophistication of the concert hall rather than bringing any suggestion of the bandstand.'
The inner detail of the part-writing is remarkably clear and while the overall effect is essentially more robust than with an orchestral texture, and dynamic range is more limited (as is demonstrated in the expansion into the climax which heralds the triumphant opening of the finale of the Fifth) nevertheless the music-making is undoubtedly compelling, especially when the easy bravura of the players is always put at the service of the composer. Georg Tintner's reading of the main work is impressive. The first movement has both excitement and grip, the melody of the Andante sings, although the opening on the tuba takes a little adjusting to at first, even though it is beautifully shaped. The lower brass are very impressive in their running passages in the scherzo (which tax even orchestral double-basses) and the only movement that might seemingly have had even more impetus is the finale, and even that does not really disappoint.
The programme begins with the Egmont Overture and the fat sonorities at the opening chords offer a rich parallel with the orchestral effect. The lyrical running passages of the allegro bring attractive interchanges which certainly don't lack colour and the emphatic fanfare which is so striking on the horns in the orchestral version is just as telling here. Surprisingly the one work where one does miss the orchestral colour is the piece one would have thought most suited to such a transcription, the so-called ''Battle Symphony''. The opposing armies line up engagingly, but then the small arms effects of the battle itself are half-hearted and poorly focused; even the final ''Sieges-Symphony'' has sounded more uninhibitedly triumphant elsewhere.
The recording itself is undoubtedly in the demonstration class with the brass sonorities richly captured throughout the spectrum, yet detail is always clearly defined and the playing throughout has the sophistication of the concert hall rather than bringing any suggestion of the bandstand.'
Beethoven Arrangements for Brass Ensemble
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