Search - Witold Lutoslawski, Oskar Bohme, Percy Grainger :: Asbury Brass Quinetet with Adolph Herseth, soloist

Brass at its best

David Fair | Lexington, MA USA | 07/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Asbury Brass Quintet shows us the way brass should sound. Guest soloist Adolph Herseth, principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, plays a fantastic performance of Oskar Bohme's "Sextet in E-Flat Minor, Op. 30". From smooth and reflective to bright and dance-like, Bohme's Sextet features a full spectrum of musical colors, and this recording is an aural showcase of this rainbow. Percy Grainger's "British Folk Music Settings" sends the listener back to Old England for a bit of history. The Asbury Brass Quintet's playing walks the fine balance of lyrical playing without a flaccid tone quality; in fact they are able to maintain the clarity and core present in the best orchestral players while maintaining a beautiful lyrical sound. Anything less would not be worthy of Percy Grainger.Perhaps my favorite piece on this album is the "Serenade d'Hiver" by Camille Saint Saens. Here the Asbury Brass Quintet's amazing precision is perfectly blended with a sense of direction in the phrases. As with the whole album, the lyrical quality in this piece is never comprimised, even in the quick fanfare-like sections which punctuate this piece."