As I mentioned before, I'm a long time trumpeter and, when the mood strikes me, I love to hear good brass and organ music. So, here are the contents of a Columbia Masterworks 2 LP set featuring E Power Biggs with the New England Brass Ensemble (members of the BSO). Music featured is by Giovanni Gabrieli, Frescobaldi, Telemann, Handel, Clarke and Purcell.
E Power Biggs kind of gets short changed nowadays. I've known a couple organists that considered him rather wooden in style with technique that they labeled hardly exceptional. However, in spite of any inadequacies that he might have had, as we all do, Biggs played an extremely important, and serious, role in disseminating much organ based literature to the general public. In addition, Biggs worked with first class musicians throughout his career and that is exemplified by the presence here of the BSO brass, conductor Richard Burgin, and the fine scholar/harpsichordist Daniel Pinkham.
The contents of these lps are festive and joyous. This is music to lift one's spirits and the musicians do just that. I want to point out that the great Armando Ghitalla is contributing his very best trumpet work here; Ghitalla's influence on a whole generation of orchestral trumpeters cannot be understated, his ability to phrase and project great warmth is captured here at the height of his powers. The second trumpet is Andre Come, long the BSO second chair, a down to earth man who absolutely never moved a muscle (outside of his diaphragm and lips) when he played. Stiffness aside, Come was a durable and consistent player and, quite versatile at that! Come really could swing when playing in the "Pops."
Biggs plays on the Arp Schnitger organ at Harvard's Busch Reisinger Museum and I presume everything was recorded there. This edition was released in 1973 but I think that the earliest of the recordings date from the late 60's.
Savor away heroic brass and organ! More Boston based music will be on the way...
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