The Brass Crest ~ Reviews

For this release, Bandmaster Ronald Waiksnoris has chosen to highlight representative items from the concert repertoire. Each of the six items on the track list is a major work – in a typical concert program, even the most ambitious band would probably only present one work of this scale. A typical Salvation Army brass band recording might contain one or two such pieces.

Grouped into the twin themes of thanksgiving and hope, the items chosen span a wide range of both time and style, from the classically-structured Symphony of Thanksgiving to the more rhapsodic and contemporary Turris Fortissima. Four of the pieces are widely regarded as among the masterworks of their respected composers, while the two more recent offerings are likely to be seen in the same light with the passage of some time.

This is a fine recording for the brass band enthusiast. It may, perhaps, have less appeal to the casual listener, as items of the scale presented here require a listening commitment somewhat greater in terms of time and critical listening. The extremely high level of artistry in the compositions, coupled with a fine performance and good presentation, make this an attractive investment for anyone interested in the possibilities and potential of the brass band.

Each of the six items on the recording is very demanding on the performers. Despite what must have been two extremely long and grueling days of recording, there are no obvious moments where the performance of the band drops in quality. The balance is generally excellent, although in some passages the middle of the band, particularly the horn section (which consists of only three players), sometimes seems to have difficultly matching the weight of the other sections. Solo and feature passages are uniformly flawless. Dynamic range is outstanding, with pianissimo and fortissimo equal in tone quality.

The recording is deliberately structured to include only six major works. Despite the length of the items, they are all well-written, with various styles and contrasting elements within each individual piece. Four of the items, Symphony of Thanksgiving, Hope Variations, A Pastoral Symphony and Music of Thanksgiving, are well-known major works in the Salvation Army brass band literature. Turris Fortissima, premiered by the Enfield Citadel Band during its tour of the United States in 2007, has become a favorite on concert programs throughout the banding world.

The Music Editor for the publications section of the USA Eastern Territory Music Department, and a member of the Staff Band, Dorothy Gates has become a respected composer and arranger. The item included on this recording, Hope, was premiered at the Staff Band’s Anniversary Concert in 2008, and represents Gates’ finest expression to date in an extended form. This piece is a significant work of emotional and intellectual depth.

In a nod to the increasing cost, and diminishing importance of the physical packaging of recordings in recent times, the disc is not packaged in a traditional hard jewel case, but rather in a folder-style cover. However, the accompanying booklet, with in-depth notes by Dr. Ronald Holz, is informative and well-organized. The engineering is unremarkable, which is perhaps the best compliment to an recording engineer – the band sounds as if it were in live performance without any engineering at all.

A fine recording by a fine player, with much to recommend it. The solos are well-chosen and well-performed, and the inclusion of a duet with David Daws only heightens the quality further. The programming of band-only items on a solo recording is somewhat confusing, however. In all, well worth the cost, particularly for the performances of rarely heard and unpublished works such as Heavenly Light.

Smooth, controlled execution is the hallmark of Carl Saunder’s performance. He shows a remarkable facility in several different styles, with a graceful, fluid line in almost all passages. The opening section of the Ray Bowes Rhapsody is beautifully done and shows Saunder’s lyric tone to great advantage. Tone is generally consistent, although some harshness is occasionally evident at the extreme upper and lower ends of the range. Intonation is excellent throughout. Complex rhythms and tonguing passages are well-done, with no noticeable effort when playing through the difficult passages.

The accompaniment, provided by the Household Troops Band, is uniformly excellent, with good balance and sensitivity toward the soloist. Saunders has been associated with the band for many years, and the soloist and the bandmaster are obviously “in tune” with each other. The Flower Duet, performed with David Daws, is well-played by both soloists, a good performance all round.

The recording contains two items played only by the band (see the Programming section below for more). These items were not taken into consideration in the Performance rating.

The cornet solos on the recording are well-chosen, with several unpublished and rarely-heard items included. However, the inclusion of two band-only items is a bit confusing, particularly for a recording entitled Going Solo. As the CD contains nearly 80 minutes of music, it seems unlikely that it was necessary to “pad” the selections to increase the length - the two items in question are about 10 minutes long. It would have been much more interesting to have included one or two more solo items, or perhaps a cornet feature using the cornet section from the band.

The presentation and production quality is good, with very good technical recording values. The engineers and producers are skilled in brass band recording, and this experience shows. One or two of the items are marred slightly by audible breaths, apparently from the soloist. The liner notes were written by Saunders himself, and give a view into his reasons for selecting the solos on the recording. The notes are generally accurate and well-written.

The first offering by the Kettering Citadel Band under the direction of its new bandmaster, Richard Phillips, this recording is an enjoyable experience comparable to listening to a well-crafted concert program. The production under review is a strong effort and further recordings from the band will be anticipated with some eagerness.

In general, the band plays in a controlled and conservative manner, with good dynamic range and tempi. Balance overall is very good, although the bass end is sometimes understated a bit. The soloists are uniformly excellent, especially euphonium soloist Gary Rose, who seems to apply his phrasing and shaping skills as a top-notch vocalist to his instrumental playing.

The band is obviously well-trained and tolerant of varying styles, doing especially well in some of the more traditionally scored passages. The sound of the band is very good, with some room for improvement, particularly in terms of genuine excitement, some of which comes through in the Radetzky March, but is somewhat lacking in other spots. Dramatic intensity is a strong point, shown quite well in the third and fourth movements of A Pastoral Symphony. No doubt, the band’s playing, although already of a high standard, will reach a pinnacle with more familiarity with Bandmaster Phillips.

The selection of items for the recording is well-balanced, with an emphasis toward older works, some of which are lesser-known but no less enjoyable. Listening to the recording is similar to sitting through a well-planned concert program, an admirable achievement for a general recording. It is a bit short, at 64:03 playing time, but this is a minor flaw and does not detract from the overall effect. The “title” work, A Pastoral Symphony, is a true Salvation Army classic that is often overlooked. Wonderful Healer, one of Dean Goffin’s later works, is comparable in spirit and craftsmanship to his masterpiece The Light of the World (Goffin himself described Wonderful Healer as a “companion” piece to the earlier work). While Rob Clark gives an excellent performance of Christ Is the Answer, it would have been refreshing to have something new for piano and band – perhaps from the pen of the Kettering Citadel bandmaster.

The technical quality of the recording is excellent, as has come to be expected from any Brian Hillson producton. Liner notes, written by the bandmaster, are informative without being verbose. Cover art and layout are serviceable and unremarkable.

Recorded for the ASB’s visit to the West Coast of the United States (December 2002 and January 2003), The Rising of the Son has an American flavor, with works by American composers Bruce Broughton, William Himes and John Philip Sousa, as well as an arrangement by Erik Leidzén, who lived the US for the majority of his adult life. The recording also offers three pieces by the Staff Bandmaster, Howard J. Evans, including the title selection, which is a new, major work. Overall, a fine recording including music in widely varied styles, with several previously unrecorded items.

The band plays well in a number of different styles, both traditional and contemporary. The trombone section seems particularly strong, although the bass trombone is occasionally a bit too bold. The band shows precise timing when needed, particularly in the opening section of Covenant, which features an increasingly complex rhythmic motif bounded by silences. Dynamics are also a strength of the band, with many of the softer passages played with extreme delicacy. The balance of the ensemble is generally very good. The bright instruments have an occasional tendency to overwhelm the mellow instruments (a common problem in brass band instrumentation), particularly in the lower end, where the exceptional strength of the trombone section is sometimes too much for the euphoniums and basses to overcome. The percussion section is solid and rhythmic, although perhaps a bit too restrained in some of the up-tempo contemporary items.

Stylistically, the band is very versatile, particularly in the contemporary items. Many brass bands are not capable of performing items that contain improvisational passages, but the ASB handles this admirably, especially in the jazz-style arrangement Love at Home. The band sounds more “comfortable” playing the contemporary arrangements, but there is nothing to fault in their performance of the more traditional pieces.

The recording focuses on the ensemble rather than the individual, with only one piece billed as a solo. The solo passages in the various items reveal that the band has top performers in the solo chairs, again with great strength in the contemporary idiom.

The Rising of the Son is a enjoyable recording, with a wide range of styles and eras included. Total running time of the recording is just over one hour, with the longest selection under 12 minutes in length. The recording is framed with two traditional marches, both of which are not well-known: Amsterdam Festival March, written for the ASB in 1992 but never recorded or published, and The Salvation Army March, written by America’s “March King”, John Philip Sousa. Unfortunately, this march is not one of Sousa’s best efforts, and even expert arrangement by Ray Steadman-Allen does not improve it enough to stand up to the other items on the recording.

There are four major tracks (over five minutes in total length) on the recording. One is the classical transcription of the Finale from Dvorak’s “New World” symphony. The others are all in a “contemporary classical” idiom, including the title selection, which is a new work from the pen of Staff Bandmaster Howard Evans. Bruce Broughton’s Covenant is a masterful setting of an American folk tune. New Frontier is one of William Himes’ early masterworks, written nearly thirty years ago and showing the sense of melody and balanced harmony that marks his compositions.

There are four compositions by members of the band, three from Bandmaster Evans and the delightful jazz arrangment Love at Home by Olaf Ritman. The use of items from members of the ensemble can sometimes be a gamble, as there may be pressure to include items of lesser quality because of the association with the composer. Happily, this is not the case on this recording, as all four items are of good quality.

Perhaps the most intriguing choice of items on the recording is the inclusion of the trombone feature I Will Follow Him. This song was originally recorded by Little Peggy March in 1963 as a secular love song. It was used with religious connotations (without any change in lyric) in the popular 1992 motion picture Sister Act. At first, this choice of music might seem inappropriate on a Salvation Army recording. However, it can be considered as a modern example of the old Army practice of borrowing a popular tune and making it fit the Salvation message. Many of the songs which are now a standard part of the Army songbook have tunes that were originally secular popular songs.

The recording is well-packaged and recorded. Liner notes are informative without being verbose. In addition to a group picture of the whole ensemble, there are individual photos along the bottom of each page in the liner. This is somewhat novel, and seems quite effective. The photos seem to be in the same order as the printed roster in the liner. We purchased our copy of the recording from the World of Brass site. Service was very good - less than ten days to receive the recording after placing the order (and we are in the United States, so this was a transatlantic transaction).