Featuring Canadian Brass in popular works for quintet, double quintet and full brass ensemble.

The name Canadian Brass long ago reached legendary status in the musical world, as have the extraordinary performers, past and present, brought together for this recording. Although the Canadian Brass took the concert world by storm with its engaging presentation style, it has been their serious and meticulous attention to musical detail that has put them in league with the great string quartets and chamber ensembles that preceded them. This ensemble has become the gold standard for brass artistry and the authority for great brass repertoire.

The compositions featured on LEGENDS are absolutely essential to appreciating the Canadian Brass legacy. From Copland's thrilling "Fanfare" to the newly commissioned "Golyardes' Grounde", each included work plays an important role in the history of Canadian Brass. Barber's emotionally charged "Adagio" and Mozart's "Ave Maria" explore the passion of the horn solo, while "In Ducli Jubilo" displays the brilliance of the Brass' trumpets.

The group virtually invented the "double brass quintet" in the early '80s with their guests, the Berlin Philharmonic Brass. They went on to record and perform with the Boston Symphony, the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra brass sections. From these experiences came "In Nomine", "Jubilate Deo", "Laudate Dominum & Hymn", "Earle of Oxford's March", "Bells", and the "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba".

Three solo works round out this CD. In Ryan's hands, the famous test-piece for sopranos, the "Queen of the Night" aria, becomes a showpiece of incredible virtuosity on the piccolo trumpet. Joe's interpretation of the toreador's song, "La Virgen de la Macarena", is a tour de force, taking this work to new heights. And "Penny Lane"...Ryan has become renowned for performing this work. While difficult enough as a full-length solo (unlike the short original), Ryan even adds a quote from Bach's dangerous-for-trumpeters "Brandenburg Concerto No. 2", as well as the feared octave high-C leap from Strauss' "Zarathustra"!

Combining music which represents several centuries of the highest musical art tradition along with the performers who have made a significant contribution to our cultural heritage has produced LEGENDS.