Composer: Johannes Brahms, Robert Franz, Felix Mendelssohn, Anton Rubinstein, Robert Schumann, Richard Strauss
Performer: Onyx Brass, Septura
Conductor: John Wilson
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Chandos
Release: 2021
Size: 1 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Strauss: Festmusik der Stadt Wien
Schumann: Impromptus on a Theme of Clara Wieck, Op. 5 (1833 Version) [Arr. A. Miller & T. Jackson for Brass Ensemble]
02. No. 1, Un poco adagio
03. No. 2,
04. No. 3, Espressivo
05. No. 4,
06. No. 5,
07. No. 6,
08. No. 7, Presto
09. No. 8,
10. No. 9,
11. No. 10,
12. No. 11, Allegro con brio
13. No. 12, Vivace
Brahms: Lieder (5) für Männerchor, Op. 41
14. No. 1, Ich schwing’ mein Horn ins Jammertal (Arr. D. Gordon-Shute for Brass Ensemble)
15. Mendelssohn: Die Frauen und die Sänger, MWV F 32 (Arr. D. Gordon-Shute for Brass Ensemble)
Rubinstein: 3 Morceaux, Op. 71
16. No. 1 in A-Flat Major, Nocturne (Arr. D. Gordon-Shute for Brass Ensemble)
Franz: 6 Gesänge, Op. 52
17. No. 6, Frühlingsblick (Arr. N. Keatley for Brass Ensemble)
Strauss: 2 Gesänge, Op. 34, TrV 182 (Arr. D. Gordon-Shute & M. Smith for Brass Ensemble)
18. No. 1, Der Abend
19. No. 2, Hymne
Described as ‘easily the classiest brass ensemble in Britain’ by BBC Music Magazine, Onyx Brass continues to be the leading light in establishing the brass quintet as a medium for serious chamber music, presenting it in the entertaining and articulate style that has become the group’s trademark. For this, its third recording for Chandos, Onyx Brass presents a programme steeped in the German romantic tradition. Arrangements for small ensemble of works by Schumann, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Rubinstein, and Franz demonstrate the musicality and virtuosity of the group, as well as a wide expressive and textural range. The programme opens and closes with three large-scale works by Richard Strauss, in which the quintet is joined by a host of other top UK brass players and the conductor John Wilson. Festmusik der Stadt Wien for brass and timpani, written for the city of Vienna, is the only original composition: all the others are arrangements made by members of the group. Captured in Surround Sound and available as a hybrid SACD, this is a must have album for brass music enthusiasts and fans of chamber music alike.