Impressive wind playing
David Moen | 12/29/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've listened to many of Naxos' wind recordings. There's an interesting variety available here, with bands, or "wind ensembles", from all over, and some noticeably different levels of "polish." In this respect, I'd give very high marks to this Rutgers ensemble. In this excellent group, there are still some soloists that manage to stand out (isn't it always that way?) I especially liked the tuba(s), who delivered their notes, as in the Husa, with a clear, focused, and when necessary, powerful sound--bravo! (Okay, I'm a tuba player--I was listening...). And here comes a gripe: The notes in my copy of the CD listed the musicians'names through the horns, leaving out the trombones, tubas and percussion! You left out the most important guys!!
Seriously though, I applaud Naxos for making these wind recordings available to the public. Compared to the symphony orchestra, there's precious few masterworks for band, but without a doubt it's a great medium. Perhaps its time will come."