The second of three USAF Band/Lowell Graham CDs I will start the series out with is Celebration. It was recorded in 1996 and takes the opposite approach of the last album I discussed, Excursions. Where Excursions had four brand new works commissioned by the USAF Band, Celebration has five bedrocks of the repertoire dating from the mid-20th Century. Graham proves himself adept at interpreting new and classic works with these recordings.
Where the USAF Band showed some wear and tear with the technically daunting new works of Excursions, the players have complete command over this repertoire, which includes: An Outdoor Overture by Aaron Copland New England Triptych by William Schuman Hammersmith: Prelude and Scherzo by Gustav Holst Suite of Old American Dances by Robert Russell Bennett Celebration Overture by Paul Creston The performances are excellent. There is not a weak piece in the program, with the stand out being Hammersmith. It is challenging to "over interpret" the Holst because of the precise nature of the writing: the flowing river of the Prelude is unyielding, and the dance-like Scherzo demands exactitude. Even the slow interlude in the middle of the Scherzo leaves little room for deviation. And the USAF Band executes the piece spectacularly. Graham finds the power in a work that can be despairing and antagonistic. The New England Triptych is thrilling in its fast moments (such as the entire first movement, "Be Glad Then, America"), and "When Jesus Wept" contains some of the most heartfelt playing you will find in band music. Celebration Overture indulges in the strange harmonic world of Paul Creston, while the Bennett and Copland capture the American spirit that was prevalent in the literature from the 1940s and 1950s. There are only a few issues, though they are worth a mention. First is the order of the program. The pacing overall is fine, and the middle three pieces are interchangeable. It is difficult to argue with Hammersmith as the centerpiece, and the multi-movement suites are fine bookends. The issue is closing with the Creston. Both the Copland and Creston are best as opening works, and neither are particularly effective as closers. That being said, none of the works are prototypical closers. But closing with an overture in the style of Creston is a let down. I realize that the idea of a program order is antiquated in the age of streaming music; how many of us still seek out whole albums, or do we search for the one piece we want to hear and look for the best available? But I am adamant the programming on an album is akin to programming a concert and should be treated as such. The second issue is stylistic choices, particularly in slow passages. The opening to Outdoor Overture is very heavily accented where the music seems to demand a broader style. The opposite is true in the first movement of the Suite of Old American Dances. The "Cake Walk" seems hints at a staccato — or at least well-separated — style, but Graham elects for a more legato approach. The most distracting example is the opening to "Chester." Though it is a chorale, it was one of the main anthems of the Revolutionary War. There is nobility in the tune, and Graham uses healthy doses of rubato throughout, especially at phrase endings in the woodwind passage: the music slows, followed by a pronounced pause before the next phrase. I do not begrudge any conductor their interpretation, but that choice undermines the recapitulation of the theme in the finale as performed by a small brass group. These squabbles do little to take away from the album's effectiveness, and I return to Celebrations often as it is one of the best recordings in my collection.
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The first albums I will discuss are from Lowell Graham, the former conductor of the U.S. Air Force Band. He released quite a few recordings with that ensemble as well as another group stationed just up the road from the USAF Band, the ACC Heritage of America Band. Back in the 1990s, all you had to do was request recordings and the military groups would send them. When I requested materials from the ACC Heritage of America Band, they sent a large box of CDs and cassettes. Being an undergraduate music student, that kickstarted my collection and provided some of the recordings I listen to today. One of the first impactful recordings I listened to, though, was Excursions. It was released in 1996 and contains 4 works, at least three of which have become standards in the repertoire. Klavier rereleased the recording in 2013 with a strikingly similar cover, but I am proud to say I have the free copy in my collection! The works on the disc are:
Fanfare for a New Era by Jack Stamp Dance Movements by Philip Sparke Excursions by Bruce Broughton Symphony No. 3 by James Barnes The Stamp, Sparke and Barnes are widely performed and have become modern classics. All of the works were composed for and/or premiered by the United States Air Force Band; it is more than a little significant that a collection of new works can be viewed so uniformly excellent more than 20 years later! As far as the performances themselves, there is a raw energy that is enervating. That could be because the pieces tend to play to conductor Lowell Graham's strength: muscular, aggressive interpretations that sometimes sacrifice clarity and cleanliness for power. That can be seen in some of the high impact moments in the Sparke and the Barnes. Of course, there is a disadvantage of being first to the dance, and the fact that these are all premiere recordings means Graham and the USAF players had no recordings for reference. Even so, these are thrilling accounts. Fanfare for a New Era is a pure burst of energy, and the ensemble plays with unabashed gusto. There is a full-throated quality to the playing that is in line with Stamp's fanfare writing. The Sparke, being more varied in its moods, is a bit more of a challenge for the ensemble. The tempos in the faster movements (especially movement 2 - For the Woodwinds) tend to be slower than other later recordings. It is a very tough piece, and they navigate it well, but overall it sounds more labored than other recordings, though most recordings sound like they are traversing a minefield. The third movement (For the Brass) is absolutely lovely, and the finale is rousing. This is one of the hallmark recordings of Dance Movements and well worth seeking, Excursions is performed by the trumpet player it was written for, Ronald Blais. It is a virtuoso showpiece that sounds much less labored than the Sparke, and the result is dazzling. It is a nice change of pace between the two large-scale works. The last piece on the recording is Symphony No. 3 by Barnes. I am conflicted about the Barnes. I understand its importance in the repertoire and respect the music. But it is a long journey of pain and despair to take. And Barnes chooses to change course just before the end. The first three movements - especially the poignant and heart-wrenching third - are a study in controlled expression. The music expresses something tragic but does it in a way that never over emotes. After the the great third movement, the fourth opens and ... it sounds like it came from a completely different work! It is a lively, boisterous fanfare/overture that is fine in its own right but does not match the aesthetic that has been established nor the journey we have been on. That being said, this is a crack jack performance. And the piece is worth hearing and studying. I know what some will say: the change in mood and style fits the subject matter, which, if you don't know, you can look up. (Barnes lost his young child just prior to writing the symphony.) But I take issue if a piece cannot stand solidly on its own merits beyond its inspiration or program. That is not to say that Symphony No. 3 is bad. I just think that the last movement is incongruous with the rest of the piece. But I digress. Look up Excursions if you have not heard it before. Lowell Graham put together 4 new works that have all stood the test of time. And what a time the mid-1990s was for band recordings! After years of amassing hundreds of brass and wind band recordings, I decided it was time to showcase some of my favorites. So every week I will talk about one or two of my favorite recordings. This is a bit antiquated in the age of music streaming, but these recordings - many from the 1990s - represent a "golden era" of band recording, when the military bands were releasing a plethora of great albums and Eugene Corporon was just beginning his prolific recording series at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. The classic Eastman Wind Ensemble recordings by Frederick Fennell were finding new life on CD, and the Royal Symphonic Band of the Belgian Guides had some startling releases. My purchases have waned in recent years with the proliferation of music on Spotify and YouTube. But it is useful to look back at the time when the way to hear the best new band music was to either travel around to hear concerts or fill your walls with wonderful CDs. More to come...
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AuthorBrian Shelton, DOB Archives
July 2022
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