Negative Positive
Title: Ensemble Unnamed for a Reason
Review: It sounds like a mediocre college (or pretty good high school) band. Clams and clunkers (wrong or misplaced notes) abound. The director had so little confidence in the piccolo that he had it lay off of the solo the first time through (when the rest of the band plays softly) the famous part of Stars & Stipes Forever. The recording quality is on a par with the musicianship. Sousa deserves much better.Correction (1/5/03): They didn't have the piccolo lay out, but they didn't take the last repeat (which is indicated pianissimo the first time through and fortissimo the second) - they play it once, loud. As written, the famous melody ("be kind to your web-footed friends") occurs three time, the first in the Trio, with no piccolo obligato. It's still wrong.
Is the review positive or negative? 