Customer Reviews

Christmas With The Symphony Brass of Chicago

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I stumbled on this at one of the mall music stores and was thoroughly blown over. The low brass of this ensemble are the famous chicago symphony brass. Some of the arrangements are canadian brass/luther henderson arrangements just done much better than the canadians. A++++ playing and a must for any low brass player. If I could only have 2 brass cds at christmas it would be this and the famous Philadelphia carols for brass which is truly a benchmark for how brass should sound at christmas.

I had been looking to add to my classical Christmas CD collection, and came accross this album. As a trumpet player who has both the Philadelphia Orchestra brass Chrismas CD and the Canadian Brass one, I was eager to check this out. I agree with another reviewer who said that they play the Canadian Brass arrangements better than the Canadian Brass!! Not taking anything away from them, but the Chicago brass just has a more refined and well-balanced sound. The low brass section is fantastic with a rich, dark sound, full of overtones and resonance. The trumpet playing is equally as good with some killer piccolo trumpet work. For the price, this is a MUST HAVE Christmas album for any fellow brass player, or just fans of quality Christmas music in general. This is exactly the type of thing I like to have playing in the background when making cookies, wrapping gifts, etc. DOWNLOAD THIS TODAY - you will not be dissapointed!!!

I rarely write reviews, but I loved this MP3 album so much, I wanted to add my rating to the two others. I concur with the other two reviews. Skillful, complex arrangements: great harmonies and accompaniments. I did not catch any "bloopers" in the notes played at extreme ends of the solo instruments' ranges. I own several Christmas brass albums, and this is my new favorite! And you can't beat the price: 21 songs for $5.99. For those who like "O Holy Night", this is my favorite arrangement I have thus far encountered. In summary, this album is a must-have for your collection!