CD REVIEW:
A SOUSA CELEBRATION
Royal
Scottish National Orchestra /
Kristjan Järvi
Chandos CHSA 5182
(68'26")
If, like me, the
name John Philip Sousa
(1854-1932) conjures up thoughts
of marches played by military or
brass bands, this new release
will be something of an
ear-opener for you as alongside
the likes of The Washington
Post, Semper Fidelis,
The Liberty Bell, and The
Stars and Stripes Forever
there are waltzes, an operetta
overture and galop, a reverie,
and even a tango; some pieces
reflecting Sousa's close
association with the theatre in
his younger years.
The longest item
is the 12-minute suite Dwellers
of the Western World that
was wildly popular on the 1910/11
Sousa Band's 352-day-tour of the
UK, South Africa, Australia, New
Zealand, and North America when
they travelled 47,000 miles and
played 300 concerts.
Another two of the
19 tracks are the delightful Humoresque
on 'Swanee' (Gershwin) and Humoresque
on 'Look for the Silver Lining'
(Kern).
The RSNO, playing
under the third in line from the
esteemed Estonian family of
conductors, acquit themselves
very well idiomatically. B flat
cornet, cello, xylophone, and
piccolo players are all credited
in the comprehensive booklet
notes.
Altogether this is
a most interesting and
entertaining collection enhanced
by the Colchester-based recording
company's usual Super Audio
sound.
© Peter Burt 2017
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