eurobrass is the performing dodectet of the larger German nonprofit “eurobrass – music that goes beyond.”  Wednesday night’s concert at the Country Club United Methodist Church was part of eurobrass’s 33^rd season and its second American tour, taking the players and the ensemble’s mission far beyond Germany’s borders.

The ensemble players were a mix of Germans and Americans (this year’s line-up seemed American-heavy) and for the most part were very capable musicians. Opening the concert with what is considered lighter brass fare—especially if you are familiar with Fountain City Brass Band’s contest pieces—their second half was hymn, spiritual, and sacred arrangements. eurobrass is not only a performing ensemble but an assembly of musical missionaries, a modern day Salvation Army band.

As a non-religious audience member, I felt uncomfortable during the moments of overt praise; as did my concert-going friend as well. Although the message was innocuous enough, it felt awkward to transition from listening to a Debussy arrangement to a personal story of near-death salvation.

Some of the greatest works in the Canon are pieces of praise, written by devout composers.  Great art, performed exceptionally well, can have that same uplifting experience.

Musically though, the stronger compositions and performances were the secular pieces. Many of the successes and failures of the pieces lay in the arrangements. Chris Woods, the ensemble’s resident bass trombonist (who was not performing this night), arranged most of the works on the second half of the bill. His Heavenly Medley was a mixture of hymns and spirituals relating to heaven; one fun pointillistic section saved the work from being Brass Arranging 101. Worthy/Amen from Messiahwas overlong and Air from County Derry was too polished. Moses Goes to Mexico was clever, however, in its incorporation of pasodoble and malgueña rhythms underneath the traditional “Go down Moses” tune.

The star of the first half was chairperson Angie Hunter. She displayed tremendous euphonium technique in Philip Sparke’s Pantomine, and Rossini’s Overture to Guillaume Tell showcased her impressive consistency of tone throughout the instrument’s range. Trumpeter Charles Pagnard was the most nuanced and reliable of the four trumpets.

REVIEW:
eurobrass
2011 Concert Tour
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Country Club United Methodist Church
400 W. 57^th St., Kansas City, MO
For more information visit www.eurobrass.de and http://www.countryclubumc.org/index.php?p=music#concert

Top Photo: eurobrass (Photo by Brooke Berry Photography)

By Lee Hartman

Editor-in-Chief; Traditional and New Classical Contributor

Lee Hartman holds degrees from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (D.M.A., M.M.) and the University of Delaware (B.M.). At the University of Delaware, he received a Dean's Scholar position enabling him to pursue an individually designed academic program combining music education and composition. At the University of Missouri-Kansas City he served for three years as the Assistant Director to Musica Nova, the conservatory's new music ensemble, while teaching a variety of composition classes.

In 2007 he was invited to both the Iceland Academy of the Arts in Reykjavík, Iceland and the Sichuan Conservatory in Chengdu, China to give lectures and master classes in composition. In the summer of 2009, Hartman served as an orchestra manager for the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and Aspen Opera Theater Center for various performances. He serves on the National Executive Committee of the Society of Composers, Inc. as Submissions Coordinator. His primary composition instructors include James Mobberley, Chen Yi, Zhou Long, Paul Rudy, John Beall, and Jennifer Margaret Barker. He currently teaches music theory at the University of Central Missouri and general music classes at Park University having previously taught at UD (2007–08) and UMKC (2006–07).

His compositions can be found at http://www.leehartmanmusic.com