Customer Reviews

Delights

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

 

 

I bought this CD on a chance but liked the program and had a favorable impression of the Summit Brass. After listening to it I felt I'd hit the jackpot. The title says it all: it's a delight from start to finish!

The Summit Brass is not a quintet, but a full brass choir (4 trumpets, 5 horns, 4 trombones, baritone, 2 tubas, 4 percussion) drawn from the ranks of major symphony orchestras and university faculties across the nation and exquisitely conducted here by Carl Topilow of the Cleveland Institute and National Repertory Orchestra. As such the group takes on much of the character of a symphony orchestra, with a great palette of delicious instrumental sounds, both great and small.

The group is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, though this CD was recorded (digitally, DDD) in Beall Hall at the University of Oregon at Eugene. The hall's acoustics are excellent, with ample--not too much--reverberation and a "big hall" feel appropriate for a "symphonic" performance. The sound is truly fine, though fast runs in the lower instruments get just a tiny bit blurred due to the hall size and acoustic. Otherwise the sound seems faultless to my ears.

Getting such a far-flung group together for performances must be a logistic nightmare; keeping them playing together in immaculate ensemble must also take considerable skill, though Topilow does a marvelous job of it from his position on the podium.

If you like the sound of brass and the selection of baroque, 19th century, and 20th century music, then I predict you'll absolutely love this recording!