The members of the brass section of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra created their own ensemble in 2003 in order to demonstrate the versatility of brass instruments to a wider public through performances and teaching residencies. These performances, conducted by Ivan Meylemans, display all the virtuosity and brilliance one would expect from the members of one of the world's premiere orchestras. The repertoire the group has chosen for its first album, an SACD, includes music from the late Renaissance and from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries being rather barren periods for brass ensemble music. The antiphonal Canzon by Giovanni Gabrieli shows off the ensemble's polish and precision. The modern works vary widely in style and idiom.
Willem van Otterloo's Serenade (1944, revised 1976) is scored for an uncredited mixed ensemble, but the brass are featured prominently in this perky neo-Classical suite. The most fun piece on the CD is
Henze's Ragtimes & Habaneras (1975), in 11 short movements, several of which last less than 20 seconds. This is
Henze at his most playful and colloquial; several movements are reminiscent of Weill, in a skewed way, and many sound like they would be fitting accompaniments to circus acts. The most substantial work is Derek Bourgeois' 1979 Concerto Grosso, an attractive single-movement piece that exploits a variety of brass sonorities and idioms while maintaining a consistent musical logic. The sound is ideal -- spacious without being boomy, and warm but clean.