A number of my posts in this blog have featured arrangements by Enrique Crespo, so I have decided to dedicate a whole blog posts to him. Crespo was born in 1941, in Uruguay. His professional career took him to Germany, where he was a founding member of the German Brass in the 1970's. In addition to his role as a trombonist in the group, Crespo has perhaps made the most contribution in the area of arranging for brass ensembles. Most of these arrangements were for the German Brass, and are remarkable for their challenging nature and virtuosity. His writing never "waters" down the technical passages that may not be the most suitable for brass instruments. The result is a style that stays true to the style and sound of the originals.
The first example of Crespo's remarkable arranging skill is the famous Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. A video of this arrangement may be found at the link below.
A second excellent arrangement of Bach's music is the also famous Arioso. I find this arrangement remarkable for Crespo's ability to space the voices in a way that creates the best blend on a piece that is seemingly simple.
My last example is the Overture to Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi. I love the imitation of the tremellos and trills in the horns that sound nearly identical to the original string writing.
Most of my posts have been music that brass players have "stolen" from the classical music hall. However, I thought I would share some different music that still follows this "stolen" theme. Since, the early days of jazz, New Orleans style brass bands have existed and thrived in New Orleans and surrounding areas, while branching out with the innovations in recording and distribution technology. Some groups outside of New Orleans have adopted this same instrumentation while playing music that would not be considered jazz. One of these groups is Slavic Soul Party, a group I've enjoyed listening to for a number of years. This group hails from Brooklyn, NY. They label themselves as a Balkan Brass Band, with influences from "gypsy wizzadry," funk, and jazz.
My personal favorite track is "Taketron" the title track from their album of the same name. The use of the same instruments as a New Orleans style group with a complete different sound and style is incredible to listen to.
While digging around on youtube today, I discovered that there are a number of beautiful arrangements of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos for brass ensembles. These concertos are known for their complexity of the individual parts, thus an all brass arrangement is certainly a challenge to the players.
The first example of one such arrangements is of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 - Mvt. 1. This live recording was performed by the Resonance Brass Choir in 2013.
Probably my favorite recording of this piece in a brass ensemble is from the Phillip Jones Brass Ensemble, on their album Music of the Courts of Europe.
The German Brass also have an excellent arrangement by Enrique Crespo, which is perhaps the truest to the original orchestral sound. Their recording of this arrangement is featured on their 2010 album, Bach on Brass.
Brass choirs seem to love arranging and transcribing music of full symphony orchestra scores. This makes sense when one considers that a brass choir covers the ranges of all of the instruments of the orchestra, and can still use the original percussion instruments. Like any transcription that alters the instruments used, the level of success of these transcriptions varies between composers and time periods. Music that already uses brass instruments can transfer rather seamlessly, while music that does not can be more "hit or miss." However, some of my absolute favorite orchestra transcriptions for brass ensembles originally contain no brass instruments. Below are a few transcriptions or arrangements of familiar orchestral repertoire.
Gustav Holst: "Jupiter" from The Planets. Performed by the Chicago Brass Choir
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 5, Mvt. I - Arranged by Brad Howland. Performed by Panamá Oeste Brass Ensemble.
Richard Wagner: Introduction to Act III, from Lohengrin. Performed by the Georg Solti Brass Ensemble.
One of the most often "stolen" pieces in the trombone quartet repertoire is "Achieved if the Glorious Work" from the famed Haydn oratorio The Creation. The arrangement was first made famous on the album Four of a Kind (1995), which featured Joseph Alessi, Mark Lawrence, Scott Hartman, and Blair Bollinger. Since then, it has become a staple of the trombone quartet repertoire and an excellent first piece for young quartets.
Below is the recording from the Four of a Kind album, and a live performance by the Coppenhagan Trombone Quartet.
My second presentation of the semester occurred last week on Wednesday. The following is some more information on the pieces chosen for this presentation.
Flight- David Glänneskog, performed by the North Carolina Brass band, from the 2014 album of the same title. Music for Brass Instruments: Mvts. II and III - Ingolf Dahl. Performed by the Center City Brass Quintet on their 2002 album "Works for Brass Ensemble" New Trombone Collective - “21 trombones in the 21st Century” Project. A Tribute to Urbie Green. Recorded live in 2010.
New Trombone Collective - Astor Piazzolla: Maria de Buenos Aires. Recorded on 28 Dec. 2013 in the Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, Amsterdam.
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Brass - “Don’t doubt him now” - Leonard Ballantine (arr Verhelst). Live in 2012.
The most active and significant trombone ensemble in the world today has to be the New Trombone Collective. The Dutch based trombone ensemble began as a collection of students and teachers at the Rotterdam Conservatory in 2001, and his since grown into a world renowned group. They have released numerous CD's and have pushed the boundaries of the capabilities of the large trombone ensemble. Although their CD's have proven very successful, perhaps more significant is their appearances on DVD's and in live performances. Even in the past 2-4 years, they have exponentially expanded their presence on youtube and through DVD releases, giving visual access to their audiences.
In addition to their incredible abilities musically, I admire their ability to push into the 21st century of classical music in terms of their style of live performance. The days of a simple walk on to the stage and take a bow at the end are nowhere to be found with this group. They possess a very refreshing balance of musical satisfaction and audience engagement through visual and/or dramatic means.
Below are a few recent videos that I have just discovered recently. Because the group is so active, it's tough to keep up with the material they put out!
This first video is an incredible mixture of pieces and styles that ends in an incredible jazz finale with legendary trombonist Jiggs Whigham as the soloist. This was part of a historic concert in 2010 that featured over 20 trombonists. The quality of this live performance is extremely impressive.
This second piece, Alice in Trombone Wonderland, written by Evert Josemanders, is an excellent example of the boundaries the New Trombone Collective pushes and breaks through.
And finally, an Astor Piazolla piece,Maria de Buenos Aires, performed here live in 2013 in Amsterdam. Again, a complete different genre of music, that is performed to an incredibly high standard.
