As Dennis Brain was the finest horn player in the United Kingdom in the '50s, so the Dennis Brain Wind Ensemble was the finest wind chamber ensemble in the United Kingdom in the '50s. Brain, of course, is well known for his recordings of Strauss and Mozart's Horn Concertos, recordings which remain the deepest, the strongest, and the most soulful ever made. These BBC live recordings of Brain with his ensemble, performing Gordon Jacob's Sextet for wind quintet and piano, plus Brain and two members of the quintet performing ...
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As Dennis Brain was the finest horn player in the United Kingdom in the '50s, so the Dennis Brain Wind Ensemble was the finest wind chamber ensemble in the United Kingdom in the '50s. Brain, of course, is well known for his recordings of Strauss and Mozart's Horn Concertos, recordings which remain the deepest, the strongest, and the most soulful ever made. These BBC live recordings of Brain with his ensemble, performing Gordon Jacob's Sextet for wind quintet and piano, plus Brain and two members of the quintet performing Beethoven's Quintet for piano and winds along Brain's brother Leonard on oboe and the redoubtable Benjamin Britten on piano, are wonderful additions to Brain's discography. Both performances are terrific: Jacob's quintet sounds polished yet passionate, while Beethoven's quintet sounds pastoral yet inward. In addition, the disc includes a live performance of Brain romping through Hindemith's Horn Sonata with pianist Noel Mewton-Wood and sailing through Gilbert Vinter's Hunter's Moon...
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