I was going to look at another USAF Band/Lowell Graham recording for my third entry but decided to go in a different direction. (The CD I had in mind is Songs of the Earth, which contains British classics including Lincolnshire Posy. But its focus on classic literature made it a bit too much like #2, Celebration, so I decided to postpone.) Nuts has a special story for me. I enjoy many recordings in my collection, but this is one of the first ones that blew me away. I purchased it in the mid 1990s, in the days when I would spend $1000-1500 a year on band recordings (you read that right). I was looking for a recording of Morton Gould's Jericho, a piece I loved the first time I played it in the Wheaton (IL) Municipal Band. I had never heard of the Symphonic Band of the Belgian Guides, but that would not stop me back then. I listened to it for the first time... and I did not know wind bands could sound like that, so precise and virtuoso. The recordings that populated my collection - the old Eastman albums, military ensembles - were fine, but the Belgian Guides seem to take things to the next level. I went on to collect another dozen of their CDs, some of which I will examine in later posts. I was baffled by the title of the recordings: Nuts? Put through Google Translate, "Nuts" means "Utility" in Dutch. I do not know if that is title, but I assume it has more to do with the Dutch meaning than what it is in English. As the CD cover above hints at with its imagery, though, it is a tribute to the American armed forces on the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Belgium in 1944 (hence the American and Belgian flag side by side). The photo is of the Mardasson Memorial, dedicated to the American troops who were wounded or killed in the Battle of the Bulge. Accordingly, all of the pieces are by well-known American composers. The program is: Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin Overture to Candide by Leonard Bernstein, arr. Walter Beeler Three Dance Episodes from On the Town by Leonard Bernstein, arr. Marice Stith Jericho by Morton Gould Festival Variations by Claude T. Smith The album benefits greatly from something I did not consider when I was a younger musician: a booming acoustic. This album is the definition of playing in a "fishbowl." It is distant and reverberant, and it more than likely aided the ensemble's sound. But having heard hundreds of bands and marching bands in my travels as a judge, I can tell when a group plays well together and when a group has great players. The Belgian Guides have GREAT players. It is most evident in the virtuoso moments on the CD, most notably the technical passages of Festival Variations (of which there are many). A "fishbowl" can hide mistakes, but the absolute perfection of the ascending scale from the tuba to the piccolo at the end of the Smith cannot be faked - it is brilliant playing. To judge the CD by the first two pieces, you might think it is a typical recording. There are so many recordings of Fanfare for the Common Man and Rhapsody in Blue by the best orchestras and ensembles in world that it is tough to stick out from the crowd. And these interpretations, sadly, do not. Are they bad? Not by any stretch. But they are just...fine. The playing is excellent with nothing to separate from the myriad other versions available. Starting with Overture to Candide, it becomes one of the finest wind band recordings around. It is here that you can hear how truly outstanding the group is. From then on, tempo seems to be no issue. They sail through Candide with a fleet-footedness that is never labored. They capture the pure joy of the music with seemingly little effort. The Three Dance Episodes from On the Town are mad fun. This piece is still performed, but not as often as I would like. It is an ingenious transcription that fits the wind band to a tee. Some of this is due to Bernstein's original orchestra. Each movement features winds prominently. The first movement, "The Great Lover Displays Himself," opens with a boisterous trombone solo. The pas de deux ("Lonely Town") starts with a bass clarinet line followed by a muted trumpet solo. "Times Square 1944" begins with an iconic E-flat clarinet solo and numerous wind solos throughout. The Belgian Guides soloist are more than up to the challenge. Bernstein composed On the Town in his Broadway phase, and it rides the line between traditional classical and pops music magnificently. I consider my collection to be quite large with well over 500 wind band recordings from the 1950s through the 2000s, this is one of only two full recordings of the Three Dance Episodes I own. It is worth seeking it out if only for that. Jericho, the reason I own the CD, is very fine. The trumpets are especially up to the task with the antiphonal section in the middle of the work. Jericho is not technically very difficult, so the band highlights its lyrical capabilities and sheer musicality. It is a tone poem depicting the destruction of the walls at Jericho (hence the antiphonal trumpets), and there is a natural flow that carries the music from one section to the next. Credit conductor Norbert Nozy for that. His interpretations are rife with style and nuance, and this Jericho is the best in my library (followed very closely by the U.S. Marine Band!). As fine as these recordings are, nothing could prepare me for Festival Variations. I had not heard of the piece when I first bought the recording, and it is the primary reason I return to this CD often. This is masterful playing from beginning to end. The wrenching middle section has the perfect amount of "give and take" and the rubato is expertly applied. This highlight, though, is the fugue at the recapitulation. The horns execute an incredibly challenging unison melody that leads to the fugue deftly, and the brass bring the fugue thrillingly to life. I have played this work on trombone (as a euphonium player) and there is no faking it. The Belgian Guides manage to not only navigate the section but do so at breakneck speed. It leads to an dazzling conclusion with the aforementioned run up the band. Any group that is considering playing Festival Variations should consult this recording. It is the gold standard of wind band playing. I have uploaded the finale below so you can hear just how amazing it is. Nuts was my introduction to European wind ensembles, and it remains to this day the finest example I own. Highly recommended!
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AuthorBrian Shelton, DOB Archives
July 2022
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