Tomasi - Fanfares Liturgiques [score] 

Summit Brass
"Paving the Way"
Summit Records
Released: 1994
www.summitreco...
Tomasi wrote Fanfare Liturgiques (originally Fanfares Concertantes) as part of his opera Don Juan de Mañara; they were premiered in 1947 in Monte Carlo, where Tomasi had recently become conductor of the opera. They were published in 1952, although the full opera was not premiered until 1956 (in Munich).
The first fanfare begins with a brilliant acclimation in the horns, but a somber lyric section follows, with a brief recall of the opening theme at the end. The second is statelier, with prominent timpani; a dramatic solo trombone recitative takes over, leading to a solemn close. The third depicts the horsemen of the apocalypse galloping with a menacing edge, at a confident, aggressive pace. The theatrical final fanfare, as long as the other three combined, comes from a scene in the opera that takes place in Seville during a Holy Week procession, when a heavenly voice sings to protagonist Miguel Mañara, lifting his spirits after the death of his wife. It begins in percussive mystery and gradually grows in dynamics and intensity under the impassioned pleading of the Spirit of Heaven, as the procession approaches. It fades into calm for an ardent chorale, over which the voice soars again, concluding in a spiritual ecstasy that reminds us of Tomasi’s abiding interest in medieval religious music.
- Program Note from Michigan State University Wind Symphony concert program, 27 October 2016
Summit Brass is the first and only truly American brass ensemble to represent the United States. Touring in America and throughout the world, the ensemble consists of some of the nation’s leading trumpet, horn, trombone, and tuba soloists and chamber and orchestral musicians. They have recorded numerous albums, been the feature of many television and radio programs, and commissioned many works for brass.
The ensemble was formed by trumpet virtuoso David Hickman in 1985. For many years, Hickman had dreamed of an all-American brass ensemble similar to those in Europe and Japan. He knew that America had the world’s finest brass performers and many excellent brass quintets, and he felt that it should have a quality large brass ensemble. Determined to establish the finest group possible, he and his colleagues in the St. Louis Brass Quintet decided to draw upon the talents of some of the best instrumentalists in the country. Thus, Summit Brass was formed with well-known orchestral musicians from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Phoenix, and St. Louis.
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