Search - Morton Gould :: Brass & Percussion

Marvellous! One can wish for no more!

cgivan@christa.unh.edu | New Hampshire, U.S.A. | 03/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Despite having been recorded in the 1950s, this disc's selections are sonically just fine -- almost as good as they are musically. Morton Gould was a remarkable musician, one of the best America has produced. He wrote a great deal of excellent music and he put together fine performances. For this recording, Gould obviously assembled the finest brass and woodwind players in New York. The result is stunning. Marches by Sousa are finer works than one often thinks. Here they are played with, brilliance, precision and attention to details of dynamics and tempo rarely heard. The inclusion of four superb and more modern sounding marches by Edwin Franko Goldman, and several marches composed by Morton Gould himself make this an album that should not be missed. It would be a bargain at twice the price."

Nostalgic and absolutely wonderful !

Jeffrey Lee | Asheville area, NC USA | 10/11/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What stands out about Morton Gould's presentations of the splendid marches--especially those by Sousa--is his refusal to engage in the kind of excessive showmanship that so many others have resorted to in an effort to stir the soul. He just lets Sousa speak naturally, and that means eloquently. As good as Frederick Fennell is in his fabled Mercury recordings--and he is considered by many to have been about the best of all march conductors except, perhaps, Sousa himself--I still derive the most comfort and satisfaction from Gould with these recordings, and I know why. As a young boy in 1952, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the motion picture, Stars and Stripes Forever, the story of--you guessed it, John Philip, who was portrayed by the inimitable Clifton Webb. Those marvelous marches of Sousa left an indelible mark in my musical consciousness. In the next several days, I proceeded to watch that movie ten more times. In the years that followed, I saw it ten MORE times. To this day, I remember fairly well the style in which those tunes were played. Gould comes closer than anyone else I have ever heard in approximating the sound of Sousa in that movie I fell in love with 51 years ago. Of course, it was more than just the movie. Sousa's music has been a source of lifelong inspiration. It never ceases to refresh and uplift me...I believe this disc is no longer in print. If you are interested you'll have to search those vendors who deal through Amazon. That's how I acquired my copy."