Marshall University Music Department Presents the Trombone Ensembles

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Review of Georg Philipp Telemann, Ein feste Burg, Carus Records, 2005

Georg Philipp Telemann ( 1681-1767) found his niche as the Kantor/Kapellmeister of the Johanneum Lateinschule and principal churches in Hamburg, for it gave him the opportunity to compose numerous works in a variety of media, both sacred and secular. During his tenure in this position, from 1721 to his death in 1767, his sacred music out­put encompassed some twenty cycles of cantatas, as well as significant numbers of passions and oratorios and a sprinkling of motets and psalm settings. While in sheer volume his cantata output far out­stripped that of Johann Sebastian Bach, Telemann\u27s reputation in music history classes resides chiefly in his instrumental music, particularly his Tafel musik. Early on, recordings of Telemann\u27s instrumental music have been somewhat plentiful. Attention has now turned to his cantatas, passions, oratorios, and a smattering of operas. This recording of a few of the relatively unknown motets and psalm settings is, therefore, quite a welcome addition to the ever-growing Telemann discography, affording a glimpse into the craftsmanship that characterizes Germany\u27s leading early 18th-century composer

Review of Harry Christophers and The Sixteen, \u3cem\u3eLa Jeune France

Harry Christophers and The Sixteen (which, on this disc numbers from twelve to twenty-four singers) have assembled an exciting recording of rather unusual repertoire: that of the group of composers known as La Jeune France. Although these works may not speak aesthetically to everyone, the performances certainly will. The group\u27s tuning is impeccable and their diction clear, even when the composer deliberately obscures the text. Christophers\u27 interpretations are neither heavy­handed nor overly controlled, even as the chorus\u27s expression ranges from the primitive and aggressive to the quiet and mystical

Review of Andrea Gabrieli, Missa Pater Peccavi, Motets and Instrumental Music, 2003 His Majestys Consort of Voices, His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts, Timothy Roberts, conductor. Hyperion, 2000

Any recording that focuses solely upon the music of Andrea Gabrieli, the other Gabrieli, risks languishing in store bins, forgotten by all but the most musicological of listeners. This recording, fortunately, should not suffer that fate. Director Timothy Roberts, His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts and the newly formed His Majestys Consort of Voices have put together a celebration of Andrea Gabrieli that is as well performed as it is researched. Though some of the scoring choices are unusual, the performances are nearly impeccable with but a few exceptions

Review of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, \u3cem\u3eChristus, Kirchenwerke III\u3c/em\u3e, Kammerchor 2004 Stuttgart, Bamberger Symphoniker, Frieder Bernius, conductor. Carus-Verlag, 1987.

Carus-Verkag, Frieder Bernius, and the Stuttgarter Kammerchor have produced a number of impressive recordings to serve as companions to their impeccable printed editions of valuable, but seldom performed, choral works. Mendelssohn\u27s music has been championed in at least six of these recordings, and showcases an undeniably rich output that until now has received scant attention. The present disc aims to reverse that fortune. Christus features three early works from 1822 to 1825, when the composer was just thirteen to sixteen years old, along with late works from 1843 and 1847. Even the earliest of these works provides evidence of Mendelssohn\u27s craft and affirms his music\u27s place in the active choral repertoire

Review of \u3cem\u3ePoulenc: Messe en Sol, Litanies a la Vierge noire, Motets\u3c/em\u3e Choeur de Chambre Accentus Laurence Equilbey, conductor 1997 Accord

When conductor Laurence Equilbey established the Accentus Chamber Choir in 1991, she and the group set out to perform unaccompanied repertoire of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In this recording of Francis Poulenc\u27s sacred works from 1936 to 1953, one detects a decision well served. Equilbey and the group approach Poulenc\u27s repertoire with a deep understanding of the period, the composer\u27s spirituality and its effect on his creative psyche, and his obvious debts to Stravinsky, Faure, and early Catholic traditions. Poulenc\u27s intensely spiritual sacred works are not easy to reconcile with his earlier secular and more satirical offerings, but Equilbey and Accentus do so with stunningly beautiful results

A Tonal Approach to the Slide Trombone Slide Postitions

Questions of choice and appropriateness of alternate positions have always been problematic for trombonists. Students hear conflicting opinions from teachers, and many of the method books seem quite arbitrary in their suggestions

Review of \u3cem\u3eChoral Music of Thea Musgrave\u3c/em\u3e, Bridge Records, 2004

Extraordinary music demands extraordinary performance. Unfortunately, in this recording of Thea Musgrave\u27s recent choral works (most composed between 1986 and 1994 ), the music presented here fails to receive fully satisfying realization. Each work, however different, receives the same approach, as though director and chorus understand neither the texts nor their settings. While Musgrave’s craft proves remarkably consistent, the diverse compositional techniques she exploits show an equally remarkable variety. Unfortunately, these performances by Harold Rosenbaum and the New York Virtuoso Singers capture their unity, but not their variety. It is precisely this variety that must drive interpretation

Review of Trio Mediaeval, \u3cem\u3eSoir, dit-elle\u3c/em\u3e, ECM Records 2004 and \u3cem\u3eWords of the Angel\u3c/em\u3e, ECM Records 2001

This pair of discs by Trio Mediaeval offers an imaginative soundscape of music both ancient and new. Trio Mediaeval\u27s approach to the ancient is laudable and lovely, but the contemporary compositions written specifically for this all female group seem to give them their truest voice. The older recording, Words of the Angel (2001), intersperses movements of the Tournai mass--one of the earliest manuscript compilations of polyphonic settings of the texts of the Ordinary—among monophonic laudae and English Marian motets and sequences. The various styles provide textural and harmonic relief, a real concern in a completely unaccompanied recording. The recording takes its name from the one contemporary composition, a 1998 work by Ivan Moody, composed for the group. This work, appearing near the end of the disc, is a harbinger of the marvelous things to come in the second recording. The newer recording, Soir, dit-elle (2004), follows the same format as the earlier by interspersing movements from Lionel Power\u27s Missa \u27Alma Redemptoris Mater\u27 among monophonic laudae and other polyphonic compositions