RECORDING OF THE MONTH     CHOPIN Waltzes and Impromptus Vladimir Feltsman £11 post free World-wide VIVALDI The four seasons London Mozart Players/Juritz £12 post free World-wide BEETHOVEN Symphonies 4 and 5 LSO/Yondani Butt £12 post free World-wide

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John Philip SOUSA (1854-1932) Marches Sound Off Nobles of the Mystic Shrine Sabre and Spurs The Picadore Our Flirtation The High School Cadets The Invincible Eagle Bullets and Bayonets The Liberty Bell Riders for the Flag Solid Men to the Front The Gallant Seventh The Rifle Regiment The Pride of the Wolverines Golden Jubilee The Gridiron Club New Mexico Seagull Centennial Exposition The Black Horse Troop The Kansas Wildcats Manhattan Beach Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company The National Game The Glory of the Yankee Navy Eastman Wind Ensemble Rec 2 May 1960; 5 May 1961, Eastman Theatre, Rochester, New York MERCURY LIVING PRESENCE 475 6182 [73.14]

Sousa was an eclectic musician who gained experience as an apprentice in the US Marine Band and in theatre orchestras before turning to conducting. In 1892 he formed an ensemble he called Sousa's Band. This proved so successful it continued for nearly forty years. As a composer he is, of course, best known for his marches, which rightly gained him international fame and brought a new identity to national music. The vigorously distinctive melodic lines of his marches have turned Sousa into a veritable celebration of America. It is hard to think of these marches being treated to more vigorous and colourful performances than they receive from the Eastman Wind Ensemble and Frederick Fennell. To some extent the famously vivid Mercury recording should get the credit for this enthusiasm; the more so because despite the forty-year-old vintage the sound is good enough to merit transfer to the SACD format. It is a tribute to the present generation of engineers as well as to their illustrious predecessors. With no fewer than twenty-four marches collected on this disc, this is an opportunity to hear examples of Sousa’s output that extend well beyond The Stars and Stripes For Ever (which does not feature). There are some well known pieces, however, and a marvellously incisive performance of The Liberty Bell is as good as anything on the programme; an ideal introduction to Sousa’s colourful and exciting art. But the interest extends to the less well known music, of course. The titles are as vivid as the music: The Gridiron Club, The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, The High School Cadets. There is just one caveat, or word of warning. None of these pieces breaks the four-minute barrier, and none is shorter than two minutes. This rightly suggests that there is a formula at work. Like all the best formulae Sousa’s is adaptable to various purposes, but for maximum enjoyment this disc should be sampled a track or two at a time rather than complete. Indigestion can soon set in. Terry Barfoot see also review by Bob Bamlett Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

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