Customer Reviews

Holst: Suites 1 & 2 / Vaughan Willams: Folk Song Suite and Toccata Marziale / Reed: La Fiesta Mexicana / others

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

 

 

Here is more proof of the wonderful accomplishments that Mercury Records achieved in its "Living Presence" classical recordings between 1951 and 1968. Those were golden years for American music as Mercury utilized the talents of such conductors as Howard Hanson, Antal Dorati, Paul Paray, and, in this case, Frederick Fennell. Fennell is heard here in vintage, superb high fidelity recordings (circa 1955) with the Eastman Wind Ensemble, one of the outstanding musical groups associated with the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York.

These works for band or wind ensembles were often performed by college or university bands. Indeed, I heard some of them at the College of San Mateo and San Jose State College during the 1960's, right at the time that Mercury was continuing to issue such fine classical recordings. These performances were all recorded with a single microphone, much like RCA's "New Orthophonic" series, but I have often felt that these had better overall sound than the RCA Red Seal recordings of the early 1950's.

The effects of superb, monophonic, high fidelity have seldom been better represented than in the very colorful "La Fiesta Mexicana" by Herbert Owen Reed, given an absolutely dazzling performance by the Eastman musicians.

The two suites for military band by Gustav Holst, as well as Ralph Vaughan Williams' "English Folk Song Suite" and "Toccata Marziale" are representative of a high point in British music, the early twentieth century. Holst and Vaughan Williams were very good friends and compatriots; they both wrote exceptionally well for wind and brass. These are top-notch performances that set a benchmark for the numerous college and university bands who dared to perform these challenging works.

Less known are Peter Mennin's "Canzona for Wind Band" and Vincent Persichetti's "Psalm for Band," but these works by twentieth century American composers are also well performed in these recordings.

This compilation is definitely a musical "treasure" and have seldom sounded as good as in this digital remastering by Phillips.

My spouse grew up listening to this album. Yup,an old mono LP that was issued in the 50's and has been dearly loved ever since. However, because of all that love, the recording had deteriorated due to the pops, crackles, skips and plain old wear and tear. We had made contact with Mercury Records, who advised us they did have the master, but were unwilling to reiusse. To have our LP digitally remastered would have cost thousands. We had almost given up hope. This year, I made a search again, this time on the Internet and lo and behold it turned up and we were able to purchase it reasonably at Amazon.com! Listening to it again has been bliss. We have ordered 4 more copies to share with others. Thanks, A.C, you made our Christmas!

For Band Conductors / Teachers, there is no better conducting interpretation than those of Frederick Fennell. Tho these recordings are not new recordings, they are still viable interpretations. Glad to see them still available.

I have an LP recording made sometime in the mid-70s which has much of the program material presented on this recording, so when I saw this one, I thought it would serve well as a replacement for my (shot down) record. Not quite.

It is still Frederick Fennell, and he does superbly; and it is still the Eastman Wind Ensemble, and they are marvelous. From an artistic viewpopint, I regard this combination as artistically definitive. But they recorded this thing in the mid 1950s through a single (!) microphone. This means (obviously) a monaural recording, and no control over the equalization, leaving a dull sound lacking the excitement produced by the percussion in recordings of later time.

Oh, well. The speakers on the average computer won't murder this music any worse than the ancient recording. And the performances are completely enthralling, as befits works of this magnitude.

The affection listeners feel for the old Fennell/Eastman Wind Ensemble series on Mercury is gratifying to read, as these were indeed wonderful landmark recordings. But truth be told, in this instance it's a lot like finding a long-lost baseball card at a flea market - of a player long since retired & whose feats glow brighter in memory than in fact. This is far from the sonic wonder we recall. So unless nostalgia compels you to replace that ancient piece of vinyl (which is a perfectly good reason for buying it), & mono is OK, you'll be much happier listening to the two great Holst Suites & the Vaughan Williams Toccata performed by the Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orchestra on the Chandos label.

Bob Rixon

bought this to replace my vinyl version
and it has some extra stuff on it but not
Schuman George W Bridge that Fennell
recorded ... still all the stuff is what
bands of today need to listen to to get
it right ...

If you enjoy classical band music with lots of brass, you will like this album. Great horn sections, and some very nice chords.

Strengths: The interpretation of the Chaconne in Holst's 1st Suite was fantastic. Too often, it is played like a funeral dirge, but I enjoyed the up-tempo style the Eastman Ensemble utilized. I thought the woodwinds were excellent in the second movement of Holst's 2nd Suite, the second movement of the Folk Song Suite, and especially the Psalm. The balance in the Psalm also struck me as exceptional. I also thought the trumpets sounded clear and crisp throughout the recording though they did drown out the countermelodies in the Toccata Marziale.

Weaknesses: The bass trombone part was unclean in the Holst Suites and the Toccata Marziale. The inner woodwind voices in the Toccata Marziale and Conzona were at times hard to hear, and the flutes were too strong in Reed's Mexican Suite. The percussion was way too oppresive, especially in the Holst marches. Finally, I thought the entrances were weak in the Intermezzo of Holst's 1st Suite and throughout Reed's Suite.

The Songs of Abelard Disc has the definitive Canzona on it. The recently-released H. Owen Reed disc has a much better La Fiesta on it as well.

The Eastman Wind Ensemble is a respectable group with a history of being among the best bands that record marches and other band music. When I opened the CD, I was in disbelief that it had been recorded in mono instead of stereo. Who records with one microphone in the 20th century?

The quality was less than desirable. Some of the tracks display the distinct Eastman Ensemble trademark. However, listening to "La Fiesta Mexicana" was a huge disappointment. Horns were out of tune. The tempo was entirely too fast. All in all, this recording is a complete disaster.