The period from the late 18^th to the early 19^th century was one of rapid and fundamental developments in wind instruments. The previous brass ensemble (cornetts and sackbuts) and the twentieth century brass ensemble are both very homogeneous in tone, so to hear in the same ensemble the keyed family (bugle and ophicleide) together with the overtone instruments (trumpets and horns) strikes the ear very forcibly. The music varies from brass razzmatazz to some exquisite lyrical playing, with extraordinary beautiful tone colours. Hearing the delicious playing of the keyed bugle by Ralph Dudgeon makes one realise that the articulation styles possible on this class of instrument have been completely removed from the musical landscape by the articulation imposed by valves. Using all the possibilities afforded by these instruments, much colour is brought to many fine works. My favourites were the Beethoven septet, a sublime sonata for two horns by Nicolai, and a varied set of daring pieces attributed to Crusell whom I had hitherto only known through the clarinet.

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Performances on these troublesome instruments are heroic, with virtuoso playing on the hand horn from Andrew Clark that belies the labours involved. An invaluable contribution to a neglected area of musical research and an hour’s fascinating listening.

Christopher Mowat BBC Music Magazine

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If the music Larkin adduces is hardly as interesting as the history he draws, it nevertheless does what I imagine he wanted it to do, which is to demonstrate the enormous range, the subtleties of colour, available from the instruments of the day: there’s a sensitivity in these sounds that modern brass instruments simply cannot produce. Larkin’s essay (which I had to read twice to begin to get my brain round the sheer volume of information he presents: this is plainly only the tip of an iceberg of research) explains that the major change in the design of brass instruments – the advent of valves – brought the shorter tubes which allowed the player increased accuracy. But that security came at a price: as Larkin elegantly puts it, ‘The beauty of overtone-rich sound produced by longer tubes are what we have sacrificed on the altar of accuracy, together with the subtleties of technique needed to conjure eloquent music from the valveless horn and trumpet’. This disc, in excellent recorded sound, makes his point as tellingly as he could have wished. A roundly fascinating release.

Martin Anderson International Record Review

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The mood of a typical 19^th century band is wonderfully recreated, with the Nicolai Sonata showing much work for two horns, whilst Beethoven’s Septet always seems to thrill with its charming simplicity. There are also pieces by Neukomm, intriguing pieces for slide trumpet and Rossini duets for two horns imbued with that master’s charming vision. Larkin and his brass ensemble are constantly inquisitive advocates of pieces which have (unfortunately) long disappeared from the brass repertoire.

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The performances on the disc provide a compelling exemplification of what the brass ensemble in the early romantic period sounded like. The disc contains eleven works that were composed or arranged for brass ensemble in the first half of the nineteenth century. Combinations of natural, slide, keyed and valve trumpets, keyed bugles, cornets, Jägarhorn, hand and Vienna horns, trombones in Eb, Bb and F, and ophicleide are deployed. Most of the instruments – all of which are properly identified – are originals from the period of the repertoire. Those that are later or that are modern reproductions sound entirely convincing.

The players, mainly London-based professionals, are as good as one could get. There are several major names in the line-up, but to the credit of Larkin and his collaborators, the sum is considerably greater than the parts: this comes over as a genuine ensemble. The quality of the performances is consistently excellent. Indeed the best feature of this disc is that it rises above mere musical interest and provides a rich musical experience. Larkin has not been tempted to blend the acute differences of timbre into a smooth homogeneity, and why should he? It is precisely the move towards standardised homogeneous families of instruments that marked the shift to a new brass ensemble culture: a culture that still prevails.

Trevor Herbert Historic Brass Society Newsletter