Saxophone Concertos [Import]

Track Listings

1. Allegro Con Moto

2. Largetto - Animato Molto

3. Concerto In E Flat For Alto Saxphone And String Orchestra, Op109

4. Anime

5. Lent

6. Tres Anime

7. Lento Espressivo - Allegro

8. Sarabande: Lento Nostalgico

9. Rondo: Allegretto

Saxophone Concertos, Music, Rousseau, Kuentz, Orchestre De Chambre, Paul Kuentz, Classical

Concertos/Chamber Music/Solo
Average customer rating:
Concertos/Chamber Music/Solo
Jean-Marie Londeix
Manufacturer: Mdg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000P1KTN2
Release Date: 2007-07-31

Saxophone Concertos
Average customer rating:
Saxophone Concertos
Rousseau , Kuentz , and Orchestre De Chambre
Manufacturer: Archiv/Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

le saxophone Francais

Marcel Mule: "Le patron" of the Saxophone

Kenneth Tse, Saxophone

Music for Saxophone & Orchestra

The French Saxophone

ASIN: B000009MC7
Release Date: 1997-06-23

Tracks:

Allegro Con Moto
Largetto - Animato Molto
Concerto In E Flat For Alto Saxphone And String Orchestra, Op109
Anime
Lent
Tres Anime
Lento Espressivo - Allegro
Sarabande: Lento Nostalgico
Rondo: Allegretto

Average customer rating:

Marius Constant: 4 Concertos

Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Average customer rating:

One for the Collection
Grammy-Nominated Recording
Doesn't even deserve one star
One to skip
Hollow as they come.

Saxophone Concertos

Manufacturer: Centaur
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The French Saxophone
Music for Saxophone & Orchestra
Moving Along with Harvey Pittel, Saxophone
le saxophone Francais
Saxophone Colors

ASIN: B00001QEHM
Release Date: 1999-10-01

Customer Reviews:

One for the Collection.......2006-04-19

I've read some of the negative reviews below and I have to wonder if those reviewers and I heard the same CD. There is a reason this record was nominated for a Grammy. Banaszak takes a fresh approach to each of these pieces, with my personal favorite being the Dubois Concerto. Each performance is filled with passion and fire that creates a moving experience for the listener. Banaszak's tone is full and bright and is a lovely blend of both French and American schools of saxophone. Don't take my word for it or the word of the other "soon to be band teacher" saxophonists. Buy the CD and form your own opinion. It won't disappoint.

Grammy-Nominated Recording.......2004-12-15

I would recommend this to both casual listeners because of its success in representing Romantic music in general, and also to serious saxophonists interested in an accurate representation in the roots of classical saxophone.
Most saxophonists are not used to hearing a round, rich timbre, so they may respond defensively, but this is the reason he blends well with this and other orchestras.

'Vocalise' may get negative review initially, due to its popularity, but if you have ever played this piece in its entirety, you would know what control and stamina it takes; I personally love the duet with violin at the end and especially the soloists to peak strategically. I have never heard the tempo this low, but I think it really reflects the history both of the composer and the Polish orchestra performing it.
The articulation of the orchestra is also unknown to American-flavored ears, though it is very raw, emotional, and honest.
I cannot believe Mr. Banaszak recorded so many major works within the time he did. It probably takes great focus. I don't know any other saxophonist who has programmed this much physical music at one moment and been successful.

It was interesting to read of his study with virtuosi such as Deffayet, Abato, and jazz legend Jackie McLean. This may be how he was able to develop such a great sound --- important for any saxophonist looking to be accepted at the orchestral level. It is also interesting to see this Romantic French music (with jazz influence: i.e., Ibert) performed while realizing McLean's influence. The soloist takes advantage of the music's Romantic characteristics, especially in cadenzas where other saxophonists are often timid and "square".

The concertos are often attempted by high school saxophonists, but this recording is a great tool for amateurs and professionals who are committed to creating meaningful music and long-term goals rather than approaching serious music merely at a surface level.
My Father, a salesman, liked the CD and said it had a lot of energy and that it reminded him of the Bible story when David played his harp to calm the King. Hope you like it too!

Doesn't even deserve one star.......2004-12-07

I honestly must admit... Mr. Banaszak is one of the worst saxophonists I have ever heard. I am currently majoring in saxophone performance and music education, and looking back, most of the saxophonists in my high school band (believe me they were nothing spectacular) are better than Banaszak. For starters, his tone is too bright and his vibrato makes it hard to tell if he's actually in tune or out of tune. Frankly, I agree with the other reviews that say he sounds like a bleating nanny goat. He also tends to get drowned out by the orchestra a lot. His interpretations are disgustingly boring and very middle schooler-ish. I struggled through the entire cd, and I haven't heard a single staccato note. His lack of articulation contrasts were especially clear in the Ibert and the Glazounov. In the first fast run in the Glazounov, he slurred the entire thing, which is marked slur two tongue two, then slur fours, then slur eights. He also had trouble establishing a beat, especially on the first movement of the Ibert. I his playing to be quite less than par, and I prefer to listen to my cd of Dr. Eugene Rousseau playing these pieces. Other good recordings of these can be found by Dr. Lawrence Gwozdz, Marcel Mule, Sigurd Rascher, and numerous other fine saxophone artists. DO NOT BUY THIS CD! I'm glad I didn't spend money on it, I rented it from the library here at school! YECH!

One to skip.......2003-07-31

Greg Banaszak certainly has the technically ability required of a classical saxophonist, but his interpretations are flat, emotionless, colorless, and ultimately boring. Especially disappointing is the Rachmaninoff, which Banaszak succeeds in completely butchering with his thin tone and painful vibrato. The Glazounov is acceptable, but still suffers from overdone vibrato. The first and third movements of the Ibert are okay, but the second movement, one of the most beautiful and lyric compositions in the saxophone repertoire, becomes a clumsy and boring jumble of drawn-out long notes. I would not recommend this album to anyone who is learning to play the pieces performed on this album (that was the reason for my purchase of the CD). There are many other recordings of these compositions which would be more useful to a saxophonist, and more enjoyable to the casual listener.

Hollow as they come........2003-07-29

This guy REALLY needs to work on his tone. It is about the most hollow-sounding saxophone playing I've ever heard; it makes it sound so inhuman and deprived of richness. His articulation lacks in some places as well. None of this is the fault of the recording, for the orchestra comes in loud and clear. He needs to try again.

Orchestral Music & Concertos by Eric Ewazen

Average customer rating:

Orchestral Music & Concertos by Eric Ewazen
MAGNIFICIENT!
a pleasant surprise!

Orchestral Music & Concertos by Eric Ewazen

Manufacturer: Albany Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Sejong Plays Ewazen
Chamber Music Of Eric Ewazen
Winter: Music of Eric Ewazen and David Snow
Shadowcatcher
Music for the Soloists of the American Brass Quintet and Friends by Eric Ewazen

ASIN: B000060ON0
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Customer Reviews:

Orchestral Music & Concertos by Eric Ewazen.......2007-05-14

Excellent! I recently purchased the sheet music to Mr. Ewazen's Flute Concerto and have used this CD as a teaching tool for breathing and phrasing. The performer of this work did an excellent job and I have learned a lot from her.

MAGNIFICIENT!.......2004-04-10

On an impulse I decided to purchase this disc. I am very pleased that I did. This is wonderful music, melodic but not sentimental, with rhythmic drive and gorgeous orchestration. Will you like this music? If you enjoy 20th Century Scandanavian music such as Holmboe and Larsson and/or American composers such as Piston or Diamond, then it is likely you will. The music is neo-classical in outlook,with lively rhythms, beautiful textures and sonorities, and masterful orchestration. All of the works are excellent: it is hard to choose a favorite! If forced to do so, the gorgeous Flute Concerto would probably win by the slenderest of margins, with the Chamber Symphony (very nearly a Piano Concerto with the prominent piano part) a close second. It is unfortunately all too easy to imagine why such deserving music is so obscure. However, if you love tuneful and accessible music that is neither hackneyed nor simplistic, then I urge you to make its acquaintance at the earliest possible opportunity. Sound and performances are up to Albany's usual high standards.

a pleasant surprise!.......2002-05-09

I liked this album so much I tracked down Mr. Ewazen's web site to tell him so.

Being unfamiliar with Mr. Ewazen's body of work, I was really pleasantly surprised at the depth and craftsmanship in his music. The orchestrations make full use of the instruments of the orchestra and their characteristic sonorities. Even the "inner" parts of the compositions have musically interesting melodic lines. All of the solo parts are beautiful and wonderfully performed.

I must admit that I originally bought this album because I am a saxophonist and a great admirer of James Houlik's performances. Houlik performs brilliantly here on the tenor saxophone.

Tracks:

1. Allegro Vigoroso/Allegro Lirico - Emma Johnson
2. Adagio - Emma Johnson
3. Rondo/Allegro Giocoso - Emma Johnson
1. Rondo Pastorale - Ruth Bolister
2. Minuet & Musette - Ruth Bolister
3. Finale (Scherzo) - Ruth Bolister
1. Moderato - Kate Hill
2. Adagio - Kate Hill
3. Allegro - Kate Hill
1. Allegro Molto - Jill Crowther
2. Adagio - Jill Crowther
3. Allegro Con Brio - Jill Crowther

Tracks:

1. Allegro - Emma Johnson
2. Andante Con Moto - Emma Johnson
3. Allegro Con Fuoco - Emma Johnson
1. Allegro Moderato - Emma Johnson
2. Andante Con Moto Quasi Ma Piu Tranquillo - Emma Johnson
3. Tempo 1/Allegro Moderato - Emma Johnson
Andante Sostenuto - Ian Scott
1. Moderato - Graham Salvage
2. Quasi Blues - Graham Salvage
3. Giocoso - Graham Salvage

Tracks:

1. Allegro Moderato - Ruth Bolster
2. Andante Con Moto - Ruth Bolster
3. Allegro Vivace - Ruth Bolster
1. Allegro Moderato - Jennifer Stinton
2. Lento - Jennifer Stinton
3. Alla Gavotta - Jennifer Stinton
4. Allegro Molto - Jennifer Stinton
1. Preludio (Allegro Deciso) - The Fibonacci Sequence
2. Andante Poco Doloroso - The Fibonacci Sequence
3. Allegro Molto Ritmico - The Fibonacci Sequence
4. Lento Sostenuto - The Fibonacci Sequence
1. Largo Sostenuto/Allegro Molto/Largo Sostenuto - John Turner
2. Scherzo (Presto E Precipitoso) - John Turner
3. Elegy (Adagio E Sostenuto) - John Turner

Tracks:

1. Allegro Assai - Christiane Edinger
2. Adagio (Calma) - Christiane Edinger
3. Allegro Con Brio - Christiane Edinger
Concerto For Saxophone And Orchestra 'On Hungerford Bridge' - John Harle
1. Allegro Risoluto - David Owen Norris
2. Presto - David Owen Norris
3. Andante - David Owen Norris
4. Allegro - David Owen Norris

Tracks:

1. Allegro Vivace - Emma Johnson
2. Lento - Emma Johnson
3. (The Pre-Goodman Rag) Allegro Non Troppo - Emma Johnson
1. Molto Moderato Ma Con Moto - Jill Crowther
2. Lento Molto - Jill Crowther
3. Allegro Molto E Scherzoso - Jill Crowther
1. Allegro Poco Moderato - James Watson
2. Lento Moderato - James Watson
3. Vivace - James Watson
1. Allegro Vivace - Graham Salvage
2. Grave E Molto Sostenuto - Graham Salvage
3. Con Spirito - Graham Salvage

Average customer rating:

amazingly awful
Not as bad as some people say, but not great.
Grat success for an awful playing
Not as bad as everyone would have you believe
There are really good classical saxophonists, too, you know?

Saxophone Concertos

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000002RSE
Release Date: 1992-01-23

Tracks:

Rapsodie
Concertino da camera: I. Allegro con moto
Concertino da camera: II. Larghetto
Concertino da camera: III. Animato moto
Fant: I. Anime
Fant: II. Lent
Fant: III. Tres anime
Con in E flat: I. Allegro moderato
Con in E flat: II. Andante
Con in E flat: III. Allegro
Con: I. Molto vivo
Con: II. Interlude: Andante
Con: III. Allegro-Lento
Out of the Cool

Customer Reviews:

amazingly awful.......2004-04-05

John Harle performed for our sax studio while I was in college and this recording is a fair representation of what I heard. Unfortunately, what I heard was a performer with a very harsh tone and a lack of articulation that I could only compare to mumbling.

Not as bad as some people say, but not great........2003-03-30

Hearing some not-too-pleasant things about Harle's playing, I was somewhat surprised by the quality of the recording. It's not as bad of a recording as some people say (largely on account of the superb orchestra), but Harle is hardly the reincarnation of Mule and Rascher. Harle's tone is average (could be a lot warmer and darker), technique is average, interpretations are average. In general, a CD that will sit there while I listen to Gwozdz or Sinta. Harle's soprano playing is awful, so is his altissimo register. Still not as bad as it could be (Harvey Pittel anyone...?)

Grat success for an awful playing.......2002-03-23

Why is this low level saxophonist so well-succeeded with famous cd-labels? It's a mystery, but maybe because he has good and well-placed friends. Anyway, it's a very bad playing, a poor sound, a vulgar technique, and I won't waste my time talking about interpretation, 'cause there isn't any. I own this CD and I find it very useful to show students how they shouldn't play. Or how a great company like EMI can have such bad recordings (hear the Glazunov's cadenza, for instance). For his fans, I can recommend hearing people like Fourmeau, Delangle, or some young saxophonists like Vincent David and Alexandre Doisy, or, if you don't like french saxophonists, you may try Bornkamp (dutch), Sugawa (japanese), Rousseau, Murphy (american), among many others from various countries who really know how to make music with the saxophone.

Not as bad as everyone would have you believe.......2002-02-21

I would buy this cd just to hear Harle's arrangement of the Debussy Rhapsody, which gives the saxophone more music. The accompaniment is excellent, consistently. However, Harle isn't consistent. His performance of the Debussy is very epic and dramatic, not subtle or with any amount of nuance but is still a decent performance. The Ibert really isn't good, the articulation was messed with by Harle and it sounds excessively slurred. The Glazunov is OK, but there are much better recordings out there. I will say that Harle's technique is very smoothe and controlled which made listening to most of these tracks a delight. The Bennett concerto was played very well and with the right style, as is the Heath, both are right up Harle's alley (I believe they were written for him). All in all I would say definitely buy this cd and listen to something different. Harle's tone is very different, his technique is great, his altissimo is great, but his articulation is another story. However, the accompaniment by Marriner and the Academy is wonderful.

There are really good classical saxophonists, too, you know?.......1999-05-27

It's very important that people know there's much more in saxophone music than jazz and rock music. But there are better ways of doing it than John Harle's cold and empty playing. It's a pitty, with such a good orchestra.

Meeting Point: The Saxophone Concertos of Nyman, Heath and Torke

Average customer rating:

Sensational!

Meeting Point: The Saxophone Concertos of Nyman, Heath and Torke

Manufacturer: Silva America
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Customer Reviews:

Sensational! .......2006-08-23

This is a most wonderful example of contemporary saxohpone concerto music. Many people cannot imagine a non-jazz saxohpone sound. This CD is for them, and for any curious music lover! I've played this for several skilled semi-professional musicians. Their initial instinct is that this is not a saxophone. It's obviously contemporary and at the same time, you'll walk away sining the melody.

Average customer rating:

Flog the Engineers
Just Not Good Enough!
The H in Harle stands for HORRIBLE
State of Sax, 1991: Luke Warm
Outstanding Performances, Great Sound, Wonderful musicians

Saxophone Concertos

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Music for Saxophone & Orchestra
Saxophone Colors
Marcel Mule: "Le patron" of the Saxophone
le saxophone Francais
Moving Along with Harvey Pittel, Saxophone

ASIN: B00000631Q
Release Date: 1998-04-07

Tracks:

Rapsodie - Claude Debussy
Concertino da Camera: I: Allegro con molto
Concertino da Camera: II: Larghetto
Concertino da Camera: III: Animato molto
Fantasia: I: Anime
Fantasia: II: Lent
Fantasia: III: Tres anime
Concerto In E Flat: Allegro moderato
Concerto In E Flat: Andante
Concerto In E Flat: Allegro
Saxphone Concerto: I: Molto vivo
Saxphone Concerto: II: Interlude: Andante
Saxphone Concerto: III: Allegro - Lento
Out Of The Cool

Customer Reviews:

Flog the Engineers.......2005-10-22

The sound quality of this CD is atrocious! It sounds as though the engineers used a single microphone plopped in the middle of the orchestra and placed Mr. Harle in the lobby. I cannot even comment on the skills of Mr. Harle as I could barely hear him.
Very disappointing. I recommend that you do not buy this CD.

I also purchased "Music for Saxophone and Orchestra" and found the sound quality to be far superior and the music very enjoyable.

Just Not Good Enough!.......2005-09-30

This CD - like many other classical saxophone CDs - sure polarizes opinion!
Personally, I have to agree with the many other reviewers who can't stand it.
When it first appeared in its original guise, I was excited by an album of many of the saxophone favorites performed by a well-known orchestra and conductor on a major label. (the Rousseau and Savijoki discs were almost the only ones readily available prior to then.)
I had only heard Harle play previously with The Michael Nyman Band.
Unfortunately, the album just sucks!
For several reasons, mostly mentioned by other reviewers:

1. Harle's articulation - often non-existant; you'd think there wasn't a single non-legato phrase in any of the works featured.
2. Harle's musicianship - he has a distasteful habit of swelling long notes; he sounds like he's just going through the motions or, as another reviewer suggested, playing it the way his teacher did all those years ago. Also, he can't seem to play in a style other than what is appropriate for the Nyman ensemble (NOT appropriate for Debussy!).
3. The recording quality - horribly muddy; having done a masterclass with Mr. Harle I can tell you that his tone is quite brittle and strident so I suspect the engineers were doing their utmost to swathe his sound in lashings of artificial warmth.
4. The orchestra - unfortunately! I suspect Mr. Marriner and his orchestra weren't particularly enthused by the project because they lack...almost everything!

You get the idea...I won't bother with other areas of his playing, such as altissimo, correct notes, fast passages, intonation etc.

Having said all that, I don't wish to damn Mr. Harle entirely(Do you believe me?!). At least the disc brings two new works to the table (albeit not particularly inspiring ones, in my opinion). And I do quite like his work with Michael Nyman - The Draughtsman's Contract soundtrack, "Where the Bee Dances" etc.

There is one point where I may disagree with some other reviewers: alternate offerings. For an aspiring classical saxophonist, I would suggest listening to Claude Delangle and Arno Bornkamp (unfortunately, many of Arno's recordings are no longer available - they were on the Vanguard label, I believe).
Marcel Mule too, though the recordings are old and scratchy, and his playing sounds "of it's time"; he's a paragon of elegance. I always marvel at the classiness of his Ibert recordings.
I can't bring myself (and I apologize to all those who will recoil in horror at my disparaging of such a doyen of American players) to recommend Eugene Rousseau. I know he was a beloved teacher, mentor and inspiration to many - all wonderfully laudable qualities - but his recordings (I admit I've never heard a live performance) are just woeful! Personally, I wouldn't characterize his DG concerto disc as ghastly, as another reviewer did - it's the best Rousseau disc I've heard.

Anyway...
I have to agree with "Shooshie" in that saxophonists of real REAL quality seem to be quite rare and perhaps the reasons for that are as suggested in Shooshie's review. I don't know. Maybe young players need to not listen to all the mediocre recordings out there, or even the good ones (!) and listen instead to fine violinists, pianists, cellists etc. and model their approach to the saxophone on what they hear there. Maybe they shouldn't be focussing on good altissimo as the be-all-and-end-all of saxophone playing but instead allow that to come later after they can play the simplest phrase exquisitely.
Many reviewers on this site rave about certain other performers or discs that to me just don't cut it either - but hey, that's what personal taste and opinions are all about.

To reiterate: stick with Claude, Arno and Marcel...or not!

The H in Harle stands for HORRIBLE.......2005-05-02

Poor sound quality, lousy musical interpretation, and other problems make this album a horrible set of saxophone concertos. Harle almost never uses vibrato, plays outlandish cadenzas, and even skips entire phrases he doesn't want to play on some occasions. The expressiveness in his playing is almost non-existant, not to mention some technical problems, too. For example, at the end of the Glazounov concerto, instead of playing low C - middle C - altissimo C quarter notes, Harle starts on a low C and plays a *very* sloppy, uneven scale ascension to the altissimo C. His playing is generally pisspoor and his overall performance subpar. Try listening to interpretations by Eugene Rousseau, Dale Underwood, Donald Sinta, or other saxophonists. Just stay away from John Harle. FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD IN THIS WORLD, DO NOT BUY ANYTHING BY JOHN HARLE!

State of Sax, 1991: Luke Warm.......2005-04-25

I just picked up the CD locally on a whim, expecting much improvement since the old days of Eugene Rousseau's ghastly Deutsche Grammophon LP. I was a little disappointed. Harle is obviously a fine player, but just not the caliber I was hoping for. One wants to hear the saxophone played by a James Galway, Itzhak Perlman, Rostropovitch, Rubinstein, etc., and enter the hall of the musical immortals. It sounds like they're still teaching it as a technical axe, and nobody has learned how to exploit the phrasing and expression of the musical masters, which could be so utterly owned by this instrument.

Until that day comes, Harle's entry is a good try, and at least keeps reminding us that the saxophone is still awaiting its 2nd coming since its first fabulous virtuoso: Marcel Mule, who also left much room for improvement, but was at least exciting to listen to. I can't say anything on this album is "exciting," and yet I know the music itself bears the capacity to be rendered on that level. Let's face it, saxophonists have a tradition of stubborn resistance to dropping the old naive phrasings of their teachers and starting fresh with a work, as if it's never been played before. That's what it will take. Good luck, you guys and girls.

I would characterize Harle's playing as "solid," and it's worth buying for that reason. I'm not familiar with all the sax recordings out there, so if the big one has arrived, forgive me, but meanwhile I would recommend this recording to sax students as a standard of technique, but learn your musicianship from the masters of other instruments; you won't find it on sax recordings that I know of.

Shooshie

Outstanding Performances, Great Sound, Wonderful musicians.......2004-10-04

I have no idea what the other reviewers are
trying to say, but I tell you one thing;
considering the fact that the saxophone
is a hard instrument, Mr.Harle and the
Academy of St.Martin, do a wonderful job.
The repertory is first rate, new,
fresh music for a now often "invited"
friend of the orchestra. I cannot
think of better music for the "sax"....

Average customer rating:

geuss what
You be the judge.
you all suck
Another poor recording of an amateur composer.
I beg to differ..GREAT pieces!

Maslanka: Concertos

Manufacturer: Albany Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000054OZ1
Release Date: 2000-12-19

Tracks:

I. Song: Fire In The Earth
II. Interlude: Bright Window, Your Night Is Full Of Stars
III. Song: Dear Jesus, What Have You Done!?
IV. Interlude: Starry Night
V. Song: Mortal, Have You Seen This?
Concerto For Marimba And Band - Drew Lang

Customer Reviews:

geuss what.......2005-09-02

A little known fact about the premiere of the sax concerto, Lulloff had 2 weeks to prepare the peice for the premiere performance, Kelland Thomas had untimely nerve damage, causing someone else to come in to perform the work. I wanna see how well you play a 42 minute peice on 2 weeks notice.

You be the judge........2005-01-25

Austin Snider is a high school student from the red state of Missouri, so if you want to let a stupid high school kid tell you what to think, go ahead. The truth is that Joe Luloff is a fantastic player, but this recording captures one of his unusually poor performances. Anyone with a functional ear can tell you that 1. this recording is terrible, and 2. David Maslanka is really really bad at writing music.
Certain High School students would like to have you believe otherwise, but trust me, anyone with half a brain cell can tell that Maslanka's music is horrible.
There's not much more to say about this CD.
If you're a dumb marching band idiot, then you probably will like this CD because you have no idea what good music is, and you're probably a stupid high school student like Austin Snider. If you would prefer to ignore this warning, then don't let me stop you from ordering this CD. Just be aware that if you have even the slightest clue of what decent music sounds like, you will hate hate hate this CD. On the other hand, if you're a total idiot, you'll feel the same way about this CD that Austin Snider does.
Joe Luloff should be embarassed by this recording (and I'm sure he is). I only wish I could give it zero stars.

you all suck.......2004-05-31

(...)the saxophone concerto was played great, if anybody knew anything about joe lulloff they would have know he won countless awards and became professor of music by the age of 26 and won the concert artist guild award. so dont talk about stuff you dont know. david maslanka is a great composer if you want an other saxophone piece listen to the alto sax sonata it is possibly the best sonata ever written for the alto saxophone.

Another poor recording of an amateur composer........2003-04-03

The University of Arizona Wind Ensemble is certainly not a recording ensemble. The intonation problems are many, as are moments of poor tone quality and ensemble playing. That being said, the main problem I have with this recording is the music of David Maslanka. He is an amateur composer in all respects. The few melodies he has written in his life are very weak, and he uses them again and again and again, but never really develops them. His ideas go nowhere. The climaxes he writes are artificial; sure they are loud, but writing ffff haphazardly in the middle of a piece does not make a true climax. Time after time, he relies solely upon percussion to carry the emotional weight of the group, which Rimsky-Korsakov recognizes as the most immature state of an orchestration student in his wonderful book, "Principles of Orchestration".
Maslanka frequently quotes Bach chorales because he does not have the skills to create a chorale of his own. His voice leading is weak and immature. His orchestration is terrible. Mallets and piano are overused because he runs out of ideas quickly when orchestrating his music, so he just lets the piano take over in an 80's power ballad fashion. He has the most uninventive harmony parts, usually consisting of just repeated eighth notes. He is fond of including jazzy sections in his symphonies, which end up sounding like Lawrence Welk on crutches and acid, only Lawrence Welk arrangements did not make such a mockery out of Bach chorales or the wind band in general. David Maslanka's works are like books full or gibberish. From a distance they look like real novels, but upon closer inspection, they are just a waste of paper. They don't really say anything. Don't waste your time with this amateur composer. There are plenty of other fine composers of band literature. Try Ingolf Dahl's concerto for alto sax and wind band if you are interested in REAL MUSIC.

I beg to differ..GREAT pieces!.......2001-11-05

While it is true that Maslanka regularly quotes himself, I feel that it creates a body of work as a whole that centers around a central idea, that being Maslnka's brilliant MASS. The saxophone concerto centers around a portion of the mass (the 3rd movement is the main quote) which is the emotional high point of the piece. The Saxophone, played by Joe Lulloff, is not of the highest caliber, but he plays quite well and very beautifully for the duration of the work. There are some pitch problems but they are not incredibly noticeable. Overall a fine recording to a wonderful piece.
The Marimba concerto (with Marimbaist Drew Lang) is perhaps the better recording on the disc. The marimba solo is beautiful and and the wind ensemble plays very well.

Overall, this disc is a good addition to anyone's classical library and a nice introduction to Maslanka's music.

Track Listings:

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Germination [Live]

Morning Favorites: Music to Wake Up To

Mississippi Delta Bluesman

Easy

Lost Songs [Import]

MTV Party to Go 1998

Love Songs [Original recording remastered]

Howells & Leighton: Queen's College Choir

Mariachi Latinoamericano [Explicit Lyrics]

Road Less Travelled

Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too

Kings of Calypso

Las Rebajadas Sonideras

1929-1931

Stargazer

1. Allegro Con Moto
2. Largetto - Animato Molto
3. Concerto In E Flat For Alto Saxphone And String Orchestra, Op109
4. Anime
5. Lent
6. Tres Anime
7. Lento Espressivo - Allegro
8. Sarabande: Lento Nostalgico
9. Rondo: Allegretto