by Brian Balmages
Disc: James Barnes and Franco Cesarini
Recording:Tokyo Geidai Wind Orchestra
Conductor: Masaharu Yamamoto
Publisher: Brain Music BOCD – 7618
This is an exceptional recording of three masterful works by two outstanding and prolific band composers. The Third Symphony of James Barnes is one of the most expressive and challenging symphonies in the repertoire of modern bands and wind ensembles. Blue Horizons by Franco Cesarini is a vivid portrait of the aquatic world and its inhabitants. Among the denizens of the ocean one will hear the call of the great blue whale. Poema Alpestre by Franco Cesarini will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Eine Alpensinfonie of Richard Strauss but the Poema stands on its own merit and is the vision of a Swiss bred composer while the Strauss is from a great German composer’s view. I encourage the listener to add this unparalleled recording to your listening library.
