A Sousa Celebration (2017)

performed by Aleksei Kiseliov (cello), Christopher Hart (cornet), Janet Richardson (piccolo), Simon Lowdon (xylophone), Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Kristjan Järvi (conductor)
composed by John Philip Sousa

On this 2017 Chandos release, the most famous marches and other short works of John Philip Sousa receive rousing performances by Kristjan Järvi and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the superb audiophile presentation makes this album essential listening for fans of this quintessential American music. At first, Järvi's brisk tempos may seem stylistically out of step with traditional performances, where a broader pacing is suited to a marching band, not a seated concert orchestra. (As a conductor, Järvi had little ... Read More

On this 2017 Chandos release, the most famous marches and other short works of John Philip Sousa receive rousing performances by Kristjan Järvi and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the superb audiophile presentation makes this album essential listening for fans of this quintessential American music. At first, Järvi's brisk tempos may seem stylistically out of step with traditional performances, where a broader pacing is suited to a marching band, not a seated concert orchestra. (As a conductor, Järvi had little experience with American band music, but he came to appreciate it through his performances of marches and waltzes with the Tonkünstler-Orchester in Vienna.) Beyond this, the playing is exuberant and the mood is festive, particularly in such favorite marches as The Washington Post, The Thunderer, Semper Fidelis, The Liberty Bell, and The Stars and Stripes Forever. However, these marches reflect only part of Sousa's prolific output, and the selections from his operettas The Irish Dragoon... Read Less