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Re: GG: canadian brass art of fugue
Yes, they are marvelous players, and they have recorded a lot of
Bach. Their Bach performances are consistently outstanding,
particularly when you consider the wide range of musical styles
in which they perform . . . I did not realize they had met GG
before his death but given the Canadian connection it seems
fitting.
These Bachworks, in one form or another, are perennial favorites
for brass quintets. There are admittedly some authenticity
problems stemming from the fact that brass instruments in the
18th century were fairly primitive whereas the modern
instruments are among the most flexible, beautiful, and
well-tuned instruments you can find. Consequently you don't
find a lot of 18th century brass music (although there is some,
to be sure) and the lush beautiful sound of the modern ensemble
is really quite different from anything in use in the 18th
century (except perhaps the organ!). By "brass" I mean to
include instruments such as the cornetto which were actually
made out of wood.
But you can hardly beat the brass quintet when you want a modern
take on an old piece of music.
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Subject: GG: canadian brass art of fugue
Author: <kb@cs.umb.edu> at internet
Date: 3/23/97 6:50 AM
I recently got the Canadian Brass' version of the Art of Fugue, and
noticed that ``this recording is dedicated to the memory of Glenn
Gould''. The notes go on to say:
In 1976 the Brass had the first of many meetings with the legendary
Glenn Gould. It was during these meetings that the Art of the Fugue
was first conceived as a recording project. From Glenn's insight and
advice, the Brass was encouraged to bring this project to fruition.
The date on the recording (done in the Church of St. Mary Magdalene,
Toronto) is 1987. (As a further random connection, the instruments used
were made by Yamaha :-)
Does anyone happen to know anything further about this? I don't
remember the C. Brass being mentioned in any of the standard works.
I find the recording itself quite stirring, FWIW. I like it better
than the string quartet rendition. It wouldn't be the one I'd take to a
desert island, but ...
K