The Ridgewood Concert Band is a civic organization of very high quality that was formed in 1983 and is located in New Jersey. It presents five concerts a year; this one, given at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, was taped live in February, 1998. It features works for organ and band, among them two processionals by Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner. The latter has seldom sounded so grand and noble as it does here, with winds, timpani, and full organ reaching a spiritual, sonorous climax of searing beauty. Though at times it owes a lot to William Schuman, James Barnes’ Variants on a Moravian Hymn also is in the Moravian tradition, featuring a traditional trombone choir in its central section.
All of the compositions on this fine program are played with good intonation and sure rhythmic execution. Conductor Christian Wilhjelm understands his scores, takes tempos that seem unerringly correct, and obtains a good range of dynamics from his players, who do not just play loudly all the time, as is so often the case with this kind of ensemble and repertoire. The recording is a good location effort, with solid bass and midrange, but a top end that is a trifle dull. The applause has not been edited out and I find it a slight blemish on the proceedings, although I realize that its inclusion might not bother other listeners. Comparison with the Fennell reference recording is interesting as Fennell uses much smaller forces, with predictably cleaner, but sometimes less magnificent, results.
