American conductor Keith Brion's cycle of Sousa's works is a substantial enterprise, here reaching its 18th volume; Sousa was nothing if not prolific. The march was his métier, but his contemporaries would have been familiar as well with the operettas El Capitán and The Charlatan, the latter here excerpted in an attractive suite, and with various other works for band or orchestra. So those wanting a complete picture of Sousa, presumably the market for the series, would do well to check this release out. Several of the works ...
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American conductor Keith Brion's cycle of Sousa's works is a substantial enterprise, here reaching its 18th volume; Sousa was nothing if not prolific. The march was his métier, but his contemporaries would have been familiar as well with the operettas El Capitán and The Charlatan, the latter here excerpted in an attractive suite, and with various other works for band or orchestra. So those wanting a complete picture of Sousa, presumably the market for the series, would do well to check this release out. Several of the works here are potpourris, and they show Sousa's considerable gifts as an orchestrator. The opening, The Merry-Merry Chorus, is an arrangement of Sousa's favorite opera choruses, strung together. The most fun is The Stag Party (1896), a similar collection of popular songs that successfully evokes the atmosphere of a collegiate party. Even at this late date, you'll recognize several of them, notably Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes, and Sousa weaves them together delightfully and artfully....
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![Sousa: Wind Band Music Vol. 18 [Trinity Laban Wind Orchestra; Keith Brion] [Naxos: 8559812]](https://www0.alibris-static.com/cover/o55189yvuzi_t.jpg)
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