With Richard Wagner's bicentenarycoming up on May 22, there are allkinds of sounds in the air and words tobe read about the great Romantic musicdramatist. But where among all thisWagneriana are we to find the trulyoriginal messages? Some of them are tobe encountered right here, becausewhen GERMAN BRASS tackles Wagner,expectations are always high. The brassensemble is justly regarded as one ofthe world's finest, consisting of the bestmusicians from Germany's leadingorchestras (including Bayreuth's!), sothis is a special event, music made,played and recorded with totalcommitment.We still come back to thequestion: Wagner for brass – how isthat going to sound? It seems a boldidea at first sight, but as soon as youhear it, it turns out to be a stroke ofgenius: Wagner was no stranger to fullbodiedbrass sound, and the musiciansof GERMAN BRASS succeed brilliantly incoaxing the complex timbres ofWagner's mixed sounds from theirinstruments. This is due as much totheir virtuosity as to the creativearrangements of their artistic directorMatthias Höfs. The verve of the "Ride ofthe Valkyries" will astound the listeneras much as the alternating blocks ofsound at the start of the "Pilgrims'Chorus" from Tannhäuser, whereoriginal and arrangement seem to keepchanging places. Familiar passages comeover as well known and yet subtlydifferent – a stimulating experience!