Bay Street Brassworks

"Musikfest" Concert Review - August 4, 2009

By Philip A. Metzger

Special to The Morning Call

BAY STREET BRASSWORKS

There are a number of excellent brass quintets (2 trumpets, french horn, trombone, tuba) operating today, and many of them follow the same concert pattern: an olio of classical transcriptions (Gabrielli is popular), show tunes, marches, etc., plus some joshing and teasing from the stage. This is in fact the pattern that Bay Street Brassworks followed Tuesday night at Musikfest in their Vesper Series concert at Central Moravian Church, and they did it very well, to the delight of a large audience.

However, there was a difference, one which transformed several of their pieces, and that was the addition of a percussionist. Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances, for example, is a wonderful piece rewritten for brass quintet, but much finer when a percussionist provides the effect of the tambour and tambourine. So it was in several other pieces they played. Most of the members of the quintet/sextet got to show off their considerable virtuosity as well, in particular the astonishing tuba player, who took the piccolo part in Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever. I've heard that done before, and it never ceases to amaze and delight. One problem, though. In the future, when I hear some other brass quintet, I'm going to miss the percussion.