Product Description
Album Description
Operatic music in various guises provided the basis of brass band repertoire in the formative years of the genre. The popular music of the period (turn of the 20th century) took its cue from the great operatic masters and the hundreds of ballads, intermezzi and salon pieces taken up by the bands needed no musical rethinking as they were performed to the audiences of the day. Tastes and music change and the bewildering choices of repertoire now offered to brass bands means that the opera is often neglected, save for a few survivors. This CD includes two such hardy annuals, The Grand March from Act II of Tannhauser and overture to The Force of Destiny. Also included are the popular overture to Die Fledermaus, the aria Softly Awakes My Heart from Samson and Delilah and a selection from La Traviata. The CD closes with an epic fantasy arrangement from Die Walkure. Playing non-stop for over 30 minutes, this arrangement transcends normal expectations of brass band sound and leaves you wishing that Wagner himself had been able to write for this medium.
