| NUTCRACKER
SUITE DREAMS
Who needs another
Holiday recording? Surely the world is not waiting for yet
another Christmas CD with the same anticipation a six year-old
has for Santa and his overflowing bag of surprises.
 Then
again, this is not your everyday Holiday album. And there
are a few surprises here: a few new twists on favorite tunes
and maybe some unfamiliar seasonal fare as well. The hope
is that your ears will be as dazzled by new sounds as the
six-year-old is with the new toy, that your ears will find
the wonder of new-fallen snow under starlight, and maybe those
ears will even start ho-ho-hoing along with the fat guy in
the red suit.
With a brass ensemble,
it is tough to top the traditional renditions of carols played
straight out of the hymnal. But limiting brass instruments
to chorale-style playing is like owning a sports car just
to drive it slowly around the block - it sure is beautiful,
but it's built to do so much more. Yes, the brasses live for
glorious sonorities and the occasional fanfare, but trumpets
and trombones also rev up the sound for modern jazz bands
and combos, salsa bands, and klezmer ensembles. So why not
take the old sled out and see what it will do?
Pushing the brass
choir beyond the expected is what Clarion is about. I am hoping
you will find some of the music on this disc fresh and exciting
enough that you believe it is worth having another Holiday
recording, that it will make its way into your CD player a
couple of times each season, and that your spirits will be
lifted each time you hear it.
Here's hoping your
Holidays are ho-ho-ho and not ho hum.
List
of Tracks:
I Saw Three Ships 
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Still, Still, Still
Nutcracker Suite Dreams
A seven-movement parody of Tchaikovsky’s popular
ballet, including:
Kommet, ihr Hirten
While Be My Sheep (The Echo Carol)
Il est né, le divin Enfant
A la Media Noche
Fum, Fum, Fum!
Corde natus ex parentis
Patapan
Silver Bells
We 3 Kings - Traveling Music
Festival of Lights A Collection for
Chanukah
Drummer
The People
Clarion
is a brass choir comprised of twelve brass players and a percussionist
who formed to explore the versatility of this instrumental
combination by performing everything from serious chamber
works to jazz and popular music. While the brass section of
an orchestra is allowed their few glorious moments in the
symphonic repertoire, they mostly sit in the back counting
rests and reading magazines. Clarion takes advantage of this
wealth of free time, along with the many styles of music which
lend themselves to brass instruments by playing music well
beyond the imaginary boundaries which have traditionally limited
the brasses to fanfares, marches, and big, fat chords to back
up the strings while they saw away in the spotlight. Life
without strings attached has been wonderful.
Robert Spittal
has been the conductor of Clarion since 1995. As conductor,
composer, flutist, jazz saxophonist, and educator, Dr. Spittal
is a multifaceted contributor to Spokane's musical community.
His compositions have been performed by professional and collegiate
ensembles throughout the United States. As a conductor, he
is recognized for developing innovative programs and for achieving
the highest performance standards. Dr. Spittal is an Associate
Professor of Music at Gonzaga University, where he is Director
of Bands and teaches conducting.
William Berry has
been a professional trumpet player since 1975, working as
a soloist, as a freelance musician, and as a member of various
orchestras, bands, and chamber ensembles. He founded Clarion
in 1992. in addition to his performing career, Berry is a
prolific composer and arranger. His music has been commissioned
and performed by groups from Seattle to New York. One of his
current projects is organizing and creating music for an electric
string orchestra called String Jam.
|
