In no time at all we
have leapt to volume 4 in Naxos’s Sousa
series. The fecund productivity of the
series matches Sousa’s own and summons
up the days of his world touring when,
sometimes bolstered by celebrity artists
(such as violinist Maud Powell), he
barnstormed the globe. British bands
have a history of recording Sousa –
there were a number of 78s recorded
by military bands (what Americans call
wind bands) – so it’s not unusual to
see the Royal Artillery Band taking
the honours under visiting American
guest Keith Brion.
Sousa always had a
knack for titles. He summons up grandiose
antiquaries in Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine and quasi-impressionistic
Kiplinesqueries in Tales of a Traveler.
And then there’s the collegiate pep
of Coeds of Michigan (what exactly
does that promise, one wonders) and
the mechanistic up-to-dateness of The
Aviators (complete here with aero
engines and maybe summoning the recent
heroics of Eddie Rickenbacker and balloon-buster
Frank Luke). Nobles of the
Mystic Shrine does indeed have the
requisite bold, brassy swagger and Tales
of a Traveler has, unusually, three
movements. The first movement promises
local colour (it’s titled The Kaffir
on the Karroo) but we soon
get a full range of Sousa-isms and the
second, dedicated to The Matrons and
Maids of Australia, certainly portrays
them in robust form with a no-prisoners
waltz. The final movement, Coronation
March, was intended for George V’s
coronation but as it wasn’t used Sousa
recycled it as Grand Promenade at
the White House. Why wasn’t
it used? Well, it’s a big Imperial-sounding
(or maybe Democratic-sounding) march
but somewhat unceremonial in its second
subject.
Sousa employs Auld
Lang Syne, their marching song, in Ancient
and Honorable Artillery Co.,
an otherwise spruce affair but better
by far is the vivacious The Glory
of the Yankee Navy, which
has plenty of contrasting material,
is excellently constructed and has real
colour and verve. Bride Elect Selections
comes from a Sousa operetta first staged
in 1897 (we don’t hear so much of his
symphonic poems and operas) and is a
pleasing pot pourri Before we get the
expected spectacular of The Stars
and Stripes Forever we can enjoy
the 1931 The Aviators. Apparently
when the Sousa band played it they were
accompanied by the sounds of an aero
engine. Here we get several, swooping
dramatically down on us: nostalgia for
piston and crankshaft and canvas will
run amok listening to them.
The conductor has written
the succinct and attractive notes and
the standards of this series have been
well maintained.
Jonathan Woolf
see also review
by Patrick Gary
Royal Artillery Band/Keith Brion 
