Western Brass Quintet: Donald Bullock, trumpet; Stephen Jones, trumpet; Connie Klausmeier, horn; Russell Brown, trombone; Robert Whaley, tuba; Brass Ensemble Society of New York; Simon Karasick, Conductor; Hamburg Symphony Orchestra; Frederic Balazs, Conductor

Landscapes for Brass Quintet was commissioned by and dedicated to the Western Brass Quintet. It was composed in 1977 in Ithaca, New York, and the world premiere performance was given by the Western Brass Quintet in Kalamazoo, Michigan in October 1977, at the Great Lakes Regional Convention of Phi Mu Alpha. Donald Bullock has supplied the following notes:

“About Landscapes, Karel Husa has said, ‘The titles are self-explanatory, though not descriptive. The work reflects our time with view of majestic, mysterious nature embellished by travelers such as northern geese and spaceships exploring the universe.’ Although the composer insists that the music is not programmatic, the listener will readily agree that the concept is romantic. Even the structure of each movement represents those open-ended forms which composers of the previous century frequently used to work out their fanciful, if not sentimental ideas, and the virtuosic demands which the music makes on the performers is also congruent with the ideals of that age.

The American folksong element is strong in much of Herbert Haufrecht’s music. The Square Set (1941) for string orchestra (CRI 111) was written under the spell of folksong collecting and performing. The Symphony for Brass and Timpani represents the composer fifteen years more mature and stands as perhaps the most substantial of his purely instrumental scores. He writes:

“The Symphony was composed between 1953 and 1956. That was a time when, after a long period of wars, all mankind yearned for peace. This theme is reflected in the Symphony and in the titles of its movements. Beyond that the work has no program.

“It may seem paradoxical that I have chosen an instrumental combination commonly associated with the military and war to plead the cause of peace. An answer to this might be found in the lines from Isaiah, ‘And they shall beat their swords into plowshares . . . ’ By bringing out the expressive qualities of the brass instruments alongside their somber and clangorous aspect, I have sought to endow them with more human utterance."

The Aria For Orchestra stands among the most poetic and deeply felt of Walter Mourant’s symphonic scores. In 1963 he wrote:

“About seven years ago an automobile trip took us into Harper’s Ferry. I remember it was a quiet, warm summer’s day and the deserted town (actually a ghost town) had an air of quiet beauty and timelessness that was completely enchanting. The scene itself, at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, had its own intimate grandeur, which, along with the historic associations of the place, afforded us an extremely beguiling afternoon. To add to our pleasure a freight train, its sound echoing between the cliffs on both sides of the river, came booming down the valley and sped through the town, over a bridge, and into a tunnel in a mountain on the other side. As an incurable romantic, I was led to promise myself that some day I should manage to commemorate the occasion with an orchestral memento of some kind."

This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Full liner notes are accessible via the link above.