Review: St. Louis Brass Quintet
It was a different event for the Lincoln Friends of Chamber Music series opener Friday.
Usually patrons are treated to a string quartet or trio. Maybe a piano quartet or small woodwind ensemble.
Friday the St. Louis Brass Quintet, technically a chamber group, planted itself in the small space of the Sheldon Gallery Auditorium. This ensemble got its start 44 years ago, made up of the city’s symphony orchestra brass players.
It was fun to watch the audience react to the music and the performers. The quintet began with pieces by Michael Praetorius, a Renaissance composer and organist. Allan Dean, the St. Louis Brass Quintet’s lead trumpeter, arranged these, along with several other pieces on the night’s playbill.
Crisp precise notes marked the four Praetorius works. At times one of the players would switch to a small drum or tambourine for accompaniment. Thomas Bacon navigated some difficult French Horn maneuvers with excellence.
Anthony Plog is a noted composer and arranger who also played with this brass group for a period of time. The quintet played his “Four Sketches for Brass Quintet” and four of his “Aesop’s Fables” tales.
Brass members narrated the “Fables” while players made their way through the score. Giggles came from the house when the punch lines came, backed with punch lines from the instruments.
The music took on a more serious cast after intermission with a Dean arrangement of an old Spanish “Saltarello.” The house enjoyed the “Saltarello” as players entered the auditorium from front and back, providing a stereo surprise for listeners.
Crisp notes marked three “villancicos” or songs of the village people, including the well-known “Riu, Riu, Riu.” Daniel Perantoni’s tuba got a workout on “El Pano Moruno” and Dean switched from trumpet to cornet for a distinctive sound on “Nana.”
Two Astor Piazzolla tango pieces ended the regular bill. “Cafe 1930” was put together when the great Argentinian was composing in Paris, and “Libertango” is perhaps his best known showpiece.
Quintet members did their best to preserve the flavor of these works, and the crowd of 180 granted enough applause to bring the ensemble back for an encore.
Dean introduced the encore, Leroy Anderson’s “Bugler’s Holiday.” This favorite needs three trumpeters. Just two in the ensemble, however, so some shifts were made to provide a helper. The trio proved themselves up to the challenge, and the crowd enjoyed it.
Several said the concert was enjoyable, but many also said it’ll be good to get back to the string groups for the rest of the year.
Usually patrons are treated to a string quartet or trio. Maybe a piano quartet or small woodwind ensemble.
Friday the St. Louis Brass Quintet, technically a chamber group, planted itself in the small space of the Sheldon Gallery Auditorium. This ensemble got its start 44 years ago, made up of the city’s symphony orchestra brass players.
It was fun to watch the audience react to the music and the performers. The quintet began with pieces by Michael Praetorius, a Renaissance composer and organist. Allan Dean, the St. Louis Brass Quintet’s lead trumpeter, arranged these, along with several other pieces on the night’s playbill.
Crisp precise notes marked the four Praetorius works. At times one of the players would switch to a small drum or tambourine for accompaniment. Thomas Bacon navigated some difficult French Horn maneuvers with excellence.
Anthony Plog is a noted composer and arranger who also played with this brass group for a period of time. The quintet played his “Four Sketches for Brass Quintet” and four of his “Aesop’s Fables” tales.
Brass members narrated the “Fables” while players made their way through the score. Giggles came from the house when the punch lines came, backed with punch lines from the instruments.
The music took on a more serious cast after intermission with a Dean arrangement of an old Spanish “Saltarello.” The house enjoyed the “Saltarello” as players entered the auditorium from front and back, providing a stereo surprise for listeners.
Crisp notes marked three “villancicos” or songs of the village people, including the well-known “Riu, Riu, Riu.” Daniel Perantoni’s tuba got a workout on “El Pano Moruno” and Dean switched from trumpet to cornet for a distinctive sound on “Nana.”
Two Astor Piazzolla tango pieces ended the regular bill. “Cafe 1930” was put together when the great Argentinian was composing in Paris, and “Libertango” is perhaps his best known showpiece.
Quintet members did their best to preserve the flavor of these works, and the crowd of 180 granted enough applause to bring the ensemble back for an encore.
Dean introduced the encore, Leroy Anderson’s “Bugler’s Holiday.” This favorite needs three trumpeters. Just two in the ensemble, however, so some shifts were made to provide a helper. The trio proved themselves up to the challenge, and the crowd enjoyed it.
Several said the concert was enjoyable, but many also said it’ll be good to get back to the string groups for the rest of the year.
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