Fanfare Reviews
from September/October 1987

MOZART: Serenade No. 10 in B-Flat for Thirteen Instruments, K. 361 ("Gran Partita"). Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields conducted by Sir Neville Marriner. PHILIPS 412 726-2 (compact disc [DDD], 48:59).

Indulge me if I reiterate the obvious, but Mozart's "Gran Partita" is unique: there never has been anything else quite like it, and, safe to say, there will never be. Although the B-Flat Serenade has a lower Köchel number than the wind octets in E-Flat and C minor, neither its completion nor its first performance has been definitively established, and it would not be out of line to suggest that it holds an analogous position in the tradition of music for wind ensemble that Bach's St. Matthew does to the Passion tradition.

The new Philips recording is a gorgeous one. The Academy winds, especially by its principals, oboist Celia Nicklin and clarinettist Antony Pay, are superb. Marriner's reading is lively and pointed, but he is a shade too direct in the remarkable Adagio and his precise articulations occasionally inhibit the blending of sonorities so characteristic of the score. Still, this is a highly satisfying account of a singular masterpiece and is well recommended.

I still prefer the old Philips recording of K. 361 by the Netherlands Wind Ensemble with Edo de Waart, unfortunately no longer listed in Schwann. What is even more unfortunate is that the present recording makes the Dutch players unlikely candidates for a reissue, even though the whole de Waart/NWE series would be a magnificent addition to Philips' SilverLine catalog.

George Chien

Copyright © 1987 by Fanfare, Inc. Reprinted by permission from Volume 11, No. 1 (September/October 1987), pages 255-256. This article reviews a performance now only available in the Philips 422 505 6-CD set.

SOUSA: Sousa Spectacular. Eastman Wind Ensemble conducted by Donald Hunsberger. KEM-DISC 1004 (compact disc; 39:26).

Semper Fidelis. The High School Cadets. The Washington Post. Jack Tar. The Loyal Legion. Anchor and Star. The Stars and Stripes Forever. El Capitan. Liberty Bell. Comrades of the Legion. The Corcoran Cadets. King Cotton. Hail to the Spirit of Liberty. The Thunderer.

When I reviewed the original LP issue of this compact disc (Tioch TD 1007), in Fanfare 6:1, I prefaced my review with a long (and, I'm afraid, rather rambling) disquisition on the proper performance practice for Sousa marches. What it boiled down to was that Sousa wanted a rich, reed-centered band sound, with comparatively unaggressive brass and percussion (except for special effects and at climaxes). Whereas of course what we usually get is blasting and banging. I found these performances the best I could recall, and now, on rehearing, I still do. Their unhurried buoyancy, refinement of tone and inflection, and general air of solid good humor are absolutely what Sousa requires. (Notice particularly the mezzo-forte cymbal crashes that aren't reallv crashes at all, but that gently whoosh their way up over the rest of the sound.)

I'm very grateful for this CD reissue since my LP is getting a bit worn around the edges. My only complaint is that we've been somewhat short-changed--as you'll note from the total time indicated above. Too bad that Hunsberger and his splendid group didn't have a few extras in the can to add when it came time for a CD. I hope that they'll explore further; there are lots of good marches left among the 136 that Sousa wrote. The sound here is excellent, and though there is no three-letter code given, I assume that "DDD" would apply since the original LP was digitally recorded. Bravo! A must for anyone who loves Sousa.

William Youngren

Copyright © 1987 by Fanfare, Inc. Reprinted by permission from Volume 11, No. 1 (September/October 1987), page 301. This article reviews an earlier CD version of the performances reissued on Phoenix 132.

SPOHR: Notturno in C for Winds and Janissary Music, Op. 34. Nonet in F for Strings and Winds, Op. 31. Consortium Classicum led by Dieter Klöcker. ORFEO C 155 871 A (compact disc [DDD], 56:55), produced by Torsten Schreier [distributed by Harmonia Mundi USA].

Spohr's glorious nonet has always seemed to maintain at least a foothold in the catalogs. Like the coupled Notturno, it features virtuoso writing for the clarinet intended for the composer's friend, Johann Simon Hermstedt. Both works are in Spohr's easy, early-Romantic style and fall with beguiling agility on the ear.

Should you not know the music already, the nonet is scored for string quintet (including bass) and normal wind quartet. The Notturno is far more unusual in scoring, requiring two oboes, two flutes, two piccolos, two clarinets, two bassoons, contra-bassoon, two horns, post horn, bass horn, two trumpets, string bass, triangle, cymbals, and bass drum. The results are lovely and unusual. Central Europe always had a fascination with janissary (i.e., Turkish) music. This was invariably expressed by the inclusion of the so called janissary instruments (bass drum, cymbals, triangle), perhaps most notably in Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio and Haydn's "Military" Symphony. But Spohr uses them effectively here to flesh out an already fine piece of music.

The Consortium Classicum here exceeds the quality of their fine earlier performance of the nonet (which appeared here on BASF), mainly through the added clarity of the new recording. The Vienna Octet version and Uppsala Chamber Orchestra editions are likewise fine but outclassed a bit through Orfeo's fine recording. (I have not heard the Nash Ensemble version on CRD.) I know of two other recordings of the Notturno. Years back Leslie Jones and members of his Little Orchestra of London gave a superbly played version on Oryx 1830. This new one benefits from better sound and slightly tauter direction. I have not heard the recording issued in West Germany by Carus.

On all counts this issue can be recommended: music, performance, and recording. Orfeo gives its usual rather abbreviated annotations in very fine print, but don't let that deter you from this outstanding issue.

John Bauman

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Fanfare Reviews from September/October 1987

Fanfare Reviews
from September/October 1987