Chamber Music Noms

Pictured above is the Gomalan Brass Quintet.  This quintet is one of my favorite groups to listen to, each of these members has ridiculous technique and sound qualities, their performances are passionate and exciting.   Gomalan Brass Quintet was founded by  Marco Pierobon  and  Marco Braito ,  trumpets ,  Nilo Caracristi ,  horn ,  Dalmar Nur Hussen ,  trombone, and   Alessandro Fossi ,  tuba.  I n 2000  Gianluca Scipioni  took over  the trombone position and  Oswald Prader took  the tuba position.   Alessandro Fossi would return in 2008 but then  Stefano Ammannati  replaced him shortly after.   In 2001 the group won the international competition "City of  Passau "in  Germany .   Its members establish a direct and very engaging contact with the public thanks to their theatric performances.   Their repertoire is vast and stylist...

For the most part, I've tried to avoid transcriptions for brass but I do want to talk about the Vienna Horns Chamber Ensemble.  This group, to my knowledge, performs mostly transcriptions from movie soundtracks, but the musicianship they have is glorious! The Vienna Horns chamber music ensemble, founded in 2002, is probably the only one of its kind in the world. Its members are the lead hornists of Austrian orchestras, and they all play exclusively the Vienna Horn in F, an instrument that is used only in Vienna and that is partly responsible for the distinctive Vienna Sound. The ensemble’s repertoire includes not only original works, virtuoso arrangements of film music, but also works rooted in unsophisticated Austrian folk culture and temporary compositions that show off the instrument’s warm, dark sound. -  Vienna Horns website Members of this group are:  - Thomas Jöbstl, Josef Reif, Markus Obmann, Raphael Stöffelmayr, Gerhard Kulmer, Thomas Bieber, Walter Reitb...

I recently presented on the North Texas Euphonium Quartet for my last presentation in our class with Professor Manning.  This is a group that is killing it on all fronts, they are up and coming and continually progressing as a group.  Below is their biography from their website.  I'd like to note that in their biography it states that they are currently studying with Dr. Brian Bowman at the University of North Texas, however, they have gone off (individually) to teach at colleges and pursue professional playing careers.  In a recent interview with Danny Chapa, it was mentioned that within the next five years they will all have completed their Doctorates. Biography: Since its formation in 2012, the North Texas Euphonium Quartet has emerged as the leader among a formidable new crop of euphonium quartets from all across the globe.  The group is comprised of doctoral candidates currently studying with Dr. Brian Bowman at the University of North Texas, and...

One of my favorite types of choirs is the Trombone Choir.  This ensemble, to me, is truly magnificent (of course when it involves high level players).  The colors and sound, they draw me in every time.  In my first post I discussed that some transcriptions/arrangements work really well from piano to brass, in this case from choral music to a trombone choir arrangement.  O Magnum Mysterium (1994) by Morten Lauridsen is one of the most beautiful works I've ever heard.  O Magnum Mysterium was commissioned by Marshall Rutter in honor of his wife Terry Knowles.  The texts from this chant are related to Christmas, they say: O magnum mysterium  et admirabile sacramentum  ut animalia viderent Dominum  natum jacetum in praesepio!  Beata Virgo, cujus viscera  meruerunt portare  Dominum Christum. Alleluia!  O great mystery, and wondrous sacrament that animals should see the new- born Lord, lying in their manger! Blessed is the V...

Michael Tilson Thomas is Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony, Founder and Artistic Director of the New World Symphony, and Conductor Laureate of the London Symphony Orchestra. In addition to conducting the world’s leading orchestras, MTT is also noted for his work as a composer and a producer of multimedia projects that are dedicated to music education and the re-imagination of the concert experience. He has won eleven Grammys for his recordings, is the recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and is a Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France. -  Michael Tilson Thomas Website Street Song ( 1988) was composed by MTT.  Here are notes from the composer:  Street Song is a work in three contiguous parts — and interweaving of three songs. The first song opens with a jagged downward scale suspending in the air a sweetly dissonant harmony that very slowly resolves. This moment of resolution is followed by responses of various kinds. ...

The American Brass Quintet is one of the leading ensembles of its kind.  They are based in New York and have been extremely successful since they were established in 1960.  One of the many things that makes this quintet unique is that they do not use tuba as their lowest voice, instead they use the bass trombone.  The choice of using bass trombone instead of tuba might have had to with the performance of Baroque and Renaissance music at the time.   Some of the earlier members of this ensemble were involved in New York’s early music scene that included instruments like the cornett and sackbut. However, it is also said that trombonist Arnold Fromme had contacted Harvey Phillips and told him about the American Brass Quintet and wanted him to play tuba in it.  Phillips would have to decline since he had already pledged to the New York Brass Quintet. Although Phillips declined Fromme’s offer he would recommend other tuba players, but Fromme and co-founder Gilb...

Anthony DiLorenzo is a well known composer and trumpet player.  He performs with the Center City Brass Quintet, a group that has been great at recording standard and new works for the brass quintet community.  He also performs with the Proteus7 chamber ensemble.  Anthony DiLorenzo's compositions have been performed by various orchestras such as the San Francisco Symphony, New World Symphony, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops Orchestra.  He has also composed several film scores. One of his most know works for the brass chamber ensembles is his  Fire Dance , which was composed in 1996.  This is a short three and a half minute piece that is energetic and contains authentic cinematic writing.   Fire Dance  became a strong hit with brass ensembles and has been performed regularly by brass quintets since its premier.  It quickly became a part of the standard repertoire for brass quintets and has been used in competitions, brass...

Eric Ewazen is an American composer and teacher. He has written music for many different ensembles and solo instruments.  There are some people out there that don't think very highly about his writing, maybe because a lot of his music sounds "the same".  I have to say that I enjoy his style of writing, and have never been bothered by the consistency in his sound that he creates with his writing.  I'd have to describe it as uplifting and mysterious at times. Not too long ago I heard a piece by Eric Ewazen, Grand Canyon Octet .  When I heard this it was being performed by the Juilliard Trombone Choir.  I enjoyed this piece a ton and it was performed impressively by the trombone choir.  Looking into this piece more I discovered that it was originally written for horn octet, I enjoyed it even more! Here are program notes from the composer: "The Grand Canyon Octet was commissioned by Thomas Bacon and the Arizona State University Horn Ensemble, to whom the ...

There are so many different types of brass chamber ensembles that can be put together, one of my personal favorites is the horn, tuba and piano ensemble.  There is a very unique sound when these instruments are combined, it's a very pleasant color to listen to.  There are quite a handful of pieces that are for this ensemble, one of them being Alec Wilder's Suite No. 1 for Horn, Tuba and Piano (1963).   This suite was written for Wilder's close friends, tuba player Harvey Phillips and on horn John Barrow.  What is special about this suite and the other suites that Alec Wilder wrote is that they were dedicated to family members of Harvey Phillips.  Phillips and Wilder viewed each other as family and were very close.  Suite No. 1 for Horn, Tuba and Piano has some jazz influence to it like a lot of Wilder's compositions.  It's written in five movements:  I. Maestoso  II. Pesante  III. In a Jazz Manner IV. Berceuse  V. All...

If you didn't know this, french music is really challenging!  One of our great french composers is Eugene Bozza, a french native and extraordinary composer and violinist.  Eugene Bozza has composed works for several types of ensembles but is most known for his chamber music for winds.  One of his most important works for winds is his Sonatine for Brass Instruments (1951)  which is in four movements: I. Allegro vivo II. Andante ma non troppo III. Allegro vivo IV. Largo - Allegro This piece was premiered by the New York Brass Quintet at Castle Hill, MA in 1954.  The  Sonatine for Brass Instruments was considered to be a catalyst for inspiring new compositions.  This composition leveled the playing field for brass musicians by requiring equal agility, technique, rhythmic precision and tonal control from each individual. Fortunately I have been able to experience this piece as a performer.  I have to say that it is by far one of the most diffi...

Arthur Frackenpohl, a New Jersey native, received his education at the Eastman School of Music and McGill University and was fortunate enough to study with Darius Milhaud and Nadia Boulanger.  He is an American composer that taught at the State University of New York at Potsdam from 1961 until his retirement.  Arthur Frackenpohl created over 400 instrumental and choral works that are still performed today.   I had the honor of meeting Arthur Frackenpohl and his wife during my time at SUNY Potsdam.  One of the many great things they did for SUNY Potsdam was fund a brass quintet, the "Frackenpohl Honors Brass Quintet."  The audition piece for this prestigious ensemble is Frackenpohl's Brass Quintet No.1 (1966), which is considered by many to be the influential work that propelled him to national and international prominence as a composer of serious artistic merit. This quintet is in three movements:  I. March  II. Blues  III. Rondo ...

The River City Brass Band, a twenty-eight member band, is a premiere ensemble of its kind and is the only full-time professional brass band in the United States.  This amazing group was founded in 1981 and was directed by conductor Robert Bernat.  The mission of this group was and still is to entertain, educate, and engage citizens locally and around the world with their American musical culture.  This bands home is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where they rehearse and perform regularly.  The River City Brass Band has performed at venues at Pennsylvania's Musikfest, New York's Chautauqua Institution, Michigan Interlochen Center for the Arts and has toured internationally, one of the most recent places being in Italy. Today the River City Brass Band is conducted by Dr. James Gourlay, a Scotland native who is acknowledged as one of the world's greatest brass band conductors.  Dr. Gourlay has also conducted one of the most internationally known ensembles, Br...