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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent twentieth century repertoire, January 8, 2001
Another recording of Wynton's in which he displays desirable command over his trumpet. Although I wouldn't consider it perfection, he is truly a master of his instrument, and attaining perfection is no mean feat. He starts off with the Ravel, Piece en forme de Habanera, which is an exquisite work, originally written for solo piano, but Mr. Marsalis captures the expression and lyricism of Ravel's composition beatifully. There is some very difficult music on this album, and Wynton makes it sound natural. The Honegger Intrada is definitely within this category. Mr. Marsalis made it sound so easy that I didn't realize the endurance it takes to play the opening lines until I looked at the music myself. Henri Tomasi is better known to trumpet players for his spectacular trumpet concerto, and he is represented in this list of works with his short and fun Tryptique. The Halsey-Stevens Sonata has become one of my favorite pieces of music with its wonderful thematic material, strong melodies and interesting rhythms. Marsalis is so good that he gets right out of the way and lets the strength of the composition shine, a task well done. Wynton displays strong performances of the Bozza and the Enesco as well, using the Bernstein and the Poulenc as short, fun pieces to provide comic relief from the heavier works found on this disc. He ends it off with the famous Hindemith Sonata for Trumpet and Piano, a spectacular composition, which Mr. Marsalis plays with command. Wynton displays the intensity involved in this piece more than adequately. Although I somewhat disagree with some of his interpretation of the first movement, the second and third movements are wonderful. The album ends with the segment, Alle Menschen mussen sterben, or, "all men must die". An incredibly slow, incredibly difficult section to play, especially at the end of the entire piece. He pulls it off with control, not so much as even a waver in tone, and his is brilliant. Well done Mr. Marsalis! Aside from picky stylistic disagreements, an excellent collection, definitely recommended.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Classical , July 26, 2007
This is a good cd. The blend of the horn and the piano is heavily weighted on the horn. I would have preferred a more equal blend
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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Some nice moments, but..., June 29, 2004
Wynton's playing on this album is, unquestionably, very accomplished and there are some really shining moments -- especially in the Halsey Stevens' Sonata and the Honegger.As a classically trained trumpet player I must disagree with the other reviewers and point out a number of weaknesses in the playing in this disc. The Poulenc and the Bernstein, the easiest pieces are also the sloppiest. Througout the entire album, save the Chorale at the end of the Hindemith, Wynton uses, in my opinion, excessive and unmusical vibrato -- I feel it especially breaks the mood of the end of the Enesco. The playing throughout doesn't do much musically interesting and there are better recordings of all the works here. I feel the Hindemith was just rushed through, first and last movements especially. See Charlie Schlueter's "Trumpet Works" on Kleos Classics for a much more musical Hindemith and Philip Smith's self-titled album on Cala Records for better renditions of the Enesco and Tomasi. Overall, I really liked the program choice and some of the really good moments, but I think you won't find much here that isn't done better elsewhere.
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