Customer Reviews

The First Carnegie Hall Euphonium Recital

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Actually, I was at that recital (and have an old cassette tape copy of it around here somewhere that I secretly made.) And what a true joy it was to hear a recital of works actually written for the euphonium! (Except the Capuzzi, of course.) As an undergrad euphonium major 35 years ago, I looked to Mr. Bowman as THE euphoniumist to emulate. I have played all (except the Adler) of these pieces in numerous recitals since, and can't recommend them highly enough. Today's generation of players is blessed to reap the rewards of the trail-blazing efforts of Dr. Bowman and Harvey Phillips et al in the nacent years of T.U.B.A. -- and the burst of new solo works for low brass that came about as a result of that first ever low brass concert series at Carnegie Recital Hall.

As the title of the review says, these are now "classics" in the repertoire and should be studied and appreciated by all euphoniumists. As demonstrated in this outstanding recording, Dr. Bowman has set a standard of tone and expression and musicianship that has paved the way for future generations. What a wonderful legacy. Buy this recording and savor it.

This CD, being called "THE FIRST CARNEGIE HALL EUPHONIUM RECITAL" would lead most people to believe that they are listening to a live recording of the recital from March 1976. Were you to think that, you would be wrong. Upon reading the fine print on the back of the CD case, I saw "This is the program from that recital." Opening the liner notes revealed that four of the six tracks were recorded (presumably in a studio) in 1978, with the remaining two recorded last year in 2008.
If you are purchasing this CD, you are probably already familiar with Dr. Bowman's playing and certainly his reputation. I've seen Dr. Bowman perform live a number of times in the last few years. While impressive, I think it lacks the fire that he perhaps once had. When I got this CD in, the first track I listened to was the Picchi/Mantia Fantasie Originale, hoping for a real barn-burning interpretation. What I got was very polished, very calculated, very pleasant, but not very exciting at all... I only later found out that that track was recorded in 2008. The Frackenpohl is the same way. The remaining four tracks are a bit closer to what I was hoping for, though I was really hoping for a live recording. I guess I will take what I can get.

The tone and technique throughout the album are just about beyond compare. If you want a good quality recording of a legend of the brass world, then this is a fine disc to get. If you want "THE FIRST CARNEGIE HALL EUPHONIUM RECITAL" you will have to keep looking.