Here's a CD for your collection! I am sure that many young players are not aware of some of our really fine retired players. I would even guess that some of you wonder about some of these "Honorary" members that you have never heard perform. Well, here's your chance! This reissue features two of our International Double Reed Society Honoraries, Leon Goossens and Gwydion Brooke, plus the legendary hornist, Dennis Brain.
All of these performances were recorded in 1947 and were issued as "78's". For you children, this was before the ability to "take out" a wrong note or enhance the performance in other electronic fashion. What you get here is what you would have heard in 1947. Recordings were made in five minute bites and each had to be taken as a whole. There was no returning to a phrase, note, or passage.
And what you get is some wonderful playing! Don't expect an electronic miracle, but what the engineers have done with these old recordings is amazing. Just relax and within a short time you will be caught up in the artistry of these performers and will ignore the occasional thinness of the string sound.
Each of these performers is a jewel in his own right. Dennis Brain, whose career was tragically ended in an automobile accident, considered this to be one of his best performances. I am not a hornist, but I have several of his recordings and this one is certainly right up there with the best.
Leon Goossens is an oboist who many of us grew up hearing. His distinctive tone quality, phrasing, and control are all evident in this recording. For those wishing details about Mr. Goossens, see "The Double Reed" Vol. 11, No. I of Spring of 1988.
Gwydion Brooke, son of composer Joseph
Holbrooke, is now retired and living near Newmarket. From our
correspondence, I figure he's probably working on an old automobile.
This recording was accomplished in an all-day session in Philharmonic
Hall on December 31, 1947. It was originally recorded to be issued on
four 78 rpm sides. Since recording on tape was not yet the norm, each
"side" was recorded as a unit, that is, each five minute section had to
be recorded complete without stopping. This gave particular concern in
the slow movement, but I don't think you'll find many clues of the
recording method in this disk.