Search - Daniel Speer, Samuel Scheidt, Heinrich Isaac :: German Music for Trombones

Rare finds disappointingly performed

Marc S. Williams | Salt Lake City, Utah | 01/19/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As a trombonist and bass, I purchased this CD as it is the only CD available that has both pieces by Schutz for bass, 4 trombones and basso continuo. Imagine my delighted surprise when I discovered that there were two additional pieces for this combination--Domine exaudi by Thomas Selle, and Herr, nun lasst du deinen Diener by Johann Rudolf Ahle. I was not familiar with either of these pieces, and the Selle is a real gem. The fellows of the Triton Quartet have assembled a number of classics (Speer, Beethoven) combined with a number of rare pieces by relatively unknown composers. That's the good news.

The bad news is that the performance is quite disappointing. This was particular surprising given that BIS has more quality trombone recordings in print than just about any other label (of course having Christian Lindberg in the BIS stable doesn't hurt). Technically, the quartet has a generally good ensemble sound, but there are all too frequent intonation issues and the rhythmic accuracy is not always precise. The first trombone also occasionally exhibits a tremulousness in tone that detracts from an otherwise solid performance. These deficiencies could be tolerated if the performances were well interpreted. Unfortunately, this is the most disappointing aspect of this disc. The performances range from listless to lifeless. The best is the quirky Cesare Canzona, but most of the credit must be given to the composer's catchy rhythms and odd harmonies. The bass is serviceable, but these are not definitive performances. Overall, a two-star performance, with a bonus star for adding a number of pieces to the recorded repertoire. The Slokar Quartet is a much better choice for a quality performance.

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