Naxos' Monumental Works for Winds is a five-star disc from the standpoint of showcasing major band literature in first-class performances in pristine recording quality. The United States Marine Band is one of the finest symphonic bands in America, but it doesn't often get a chance to record the larger symphonic band works, so great has been the demand from record companies for the band to produce collections of three-minute marches. Nonetheless, the U.S. Marine Band, heard here under Lt. Colonel Michael J. Colburn, ...
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Naxos' Monumental Works for Winds is a five-star disc from the standpoint of showcasing major band literature in first-class performances in pristine recording quality. The United States Marine Band is one of the finest symphonic bands in America, but it doesn't often get a chance to record the larger symphonic band works, so great has been the demand from record companies for the band to produce collections of three-minute marches. Nonetheless, the U.S. Marine Band, heard here under Lt. Colonel Michael J. Colburn, regularly plays such music in concert appearances. Perhaps the restraint from recording this most non-military brand of band music, and the relief gained from finally getting it into the studio, is what has paid off so handsomely in the sense of urgent energy that crackles through the whole of Monumental Works for Winds. Yet it is an energy tempered by crack professionalism, acquired by many hours of practice and drilling. Band fanciers who cherish the sound of a good ensemble on a recording...
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