Pearls
Steven Mead (euphonium) with the Central Band of the Royal Air Force (Duncan Stubbs) 
In this diverse, attractive, entertaining disc, world-class euphonium soloist Steven Mead teams up with one of the UK's outstanding wind bands in a programme even more engaging than their award winning collaboration of 2012, Diamonds. Mead's very considerable technical skills are on full display, while the repertoire also pays particular attention to his warm, lyrical playing. The RAF Central Band and Duncan Stubbs provide first-class accompaniments; just what one would expect from this leading wind band.
The highly eclectic mix of new music, both original compositions and arrangements for euphonium and band, slants towards a strong, jazz- inflected (and related popular styles) posture, though not exclusively so. The title work Pearls II by Roland Szentpali takes the form of a high energy, three-movement suite in which the wind band at times resembles an expanded jazz ensemble, including effective use of piano, especially in the closing movement, a jazz waltz. Thomas Doss pays tribute to Mead in Sir Eu, the title reflecting Mead's involvement in the European brass scene. The cadenza that precedes the finale is a stunner - Mead gives it his inimitable touch.
Ballad-style works, an interest of the soloist, balance the technical display. Bulla's adaptation of jazz trumpeter Thad Jones's A Child Is Born intrigued me, as I have usually encountered it in Jones' own big- band setting. Here Bulla restricts himself to an accompaniment force of woodwinds, vibes, string bass, and drum set - a delightful frame
in which to savour Mead's rich sound. Other lyrical standouts are the transcription of Shostakovich's Romance from The Gadfly (arr. Ed Keely) and Bulla's Amazing Grace in which we hear Steven joined by his new wife, euphoniumist Misa Akahoshi Mead. They make a great musical pairing, and Bulla's arrangement will prove to be a classic setting of this universally acclaimed melody.
Another soloist, trumpeter Ben Godfrey, matches up very well with Mead in Tom Davoren's challenging duet, Ascension. Here is another high-energy work commissioned especially for Mead and Godfrey to perform with both the RAF Central Band and the Brass Band of Battle Creek. Lots of exuberance in evidence as the musicians mimic in sound the ascent and descent of Felix Baumgartner's 2012 Red Bull Stratos Jump.
Steven Mead has always sought to expand the repertoire of the euphonium. A pleasant surprise in that category is Bulla's wonderful adaptation of Saint-Saëns' violin solo, the famous Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. Not only is the soloist at the top of his ‘game', arranger and band provide a spectacular vehicle for the renewal of this classic.
Two more festive works by European composers round out the programme, Fast Forward by Dutch writer Hans van der Heide and the really scintillating closer, Austrian Franz Cibulka's Euphonic. In the latter Cibulka makes good use of American funk styles, among other pop styles embraced, to drive the tour-de-force that summarises the essence of this highly accessible recital. The opening with electric bass, vibes, and percussion will draw you in - and the some of the unison licks by the band and Mead are breathtaking. The production aspects are excellent, including an attractive 16-page booklet containing highly-informative notes. Recording engineer Richard Scott captures Mead's sound perfectly, centring it within the band's rich timbres. This is an exceptional compact disc I highly recommend. Ronald W. Holz