Audio Review – Coruscate: Music for Brass

Coruscate: Music for Brass 
Brass Section Members of the:
San Francisco Opera Orchestra
Minnesota Orchestra
Atlantic Brass Quintet
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Queensland Symphony Orchestra
(See tracklist for expanded personnel list)

Steven Juliani is no stranger to the music business. Having studied horn with Mason Jones at the Curtis Institute of Music, Juliani ended up in California performing in various orchestras and film studios. In 2016, after a career in performing, music copying, and law, Juliani decided to focus on composition. By knowing a number of colleagues in the industry, Juliani embarked on a journey of exploration through brass music that is a result of this recording.

Coruscate is a collection of various compositions from Steven Juliani and gives the listener a unique blend of brass instruments. Pronounced COR-us-kate with a meaning “to give off flashes of light” or “sparkle,” Juliani starts the album with a solo horn with piano selection. Composed as a one-movement piece, Kevin Rivard showcases a beautiful work that can be programmed on any horn recital.

The next selection, “Campane” is written for a low brass quintet that features one horn, two trombones, one bass trombone, and one tuba. Utilizing the members of the Minnesota Orchestra brass section, “Campane” is a unique piece that takes a couple of times to listen to. Even with a low tessitura and a possible faraway microphone placement, “Campane” is still a distinct piece that recreates that passing of bell sounds (no pun intended) with distorted rings that lead to consonant reverberation. As the “Aria” movement blossoms with a beautiful melody, tubist Steven Campbell magnifies the melody throughout as the rest of the low brass section demonstrates their cohesiveness of intonation. Hopefully, this well-written work can spark other composers to write for this same instrument configuration.

Three additional selections – “Coruscate,” “A Change of Worlds,” and “Taps” – are performed by a staple group in the brass quintet world. Formed 35 years ago, the Atlantic Brass has remained one of the foremost brass ensembles in the world, and with these selections, they do not disappoint. As all selections resound from dissonance to delight and angst to triumph, Juliani makes use of a stellar ensemble to bring forth three gratifying pieces.

As a former professional hornist, Juliani certainly knows the instrument well. “Remembered” is an example of his expertise by scoring the work for three horns, two Wagner tubas, and one tuba. Written in the memory of long-time studio horn player, Brian O’Connor, this work features, again, a unique layout that uses the Wagner tuba as the bridge between its complementary instruments – the horn and tuba.

For the remainder of the album, Juliani’s horn compositions are featured by various horn players. Ranging from duets to 16 horns (multi-tracked by 2 horns) to a horn quartet, these compositions bring an added, fresh perspective to the modern horn literature.

All in all, Steven Juliani has added some wonderful compositions to the brass repertory. Even more so, he has convincingly displayed some uncommon instrumentations that can lay a foundation for other brass music composers.

Track List:

• Allegro, Adagio, and Allegro (2018)
  • • Kevin Rivard – Horn
• Campane, a low brass quintet (2016)
  • I. Toll
  • II. Aria
  • III. Alarm
    • Michael Gast – Horn
    • R. Douglas Wright – Trombone
    • Kari Sundström – Trombone
    • Andrew Chappell – Bass Trombone
    • Steven Campbell – Tuba
• Coruscate (2017)
  • Atlantic Brass Quintet
    • Tim Albright – Trombone
    • Thomas Bergeron – Trumpet
    • Tim Leopold – Trumpet
    • John Manning – Tuba
    • Seth Orgel – Horn
• A Change of Worlds (2017)
  • Atlantic Brass Quintet
    • Tim Albright – Trombone
    • Thomas Bergeron – Trumpet
    • Tim Leopold – Trumpet
    • John Manning – Tuba
    • Seth Orgel – Horn
• Remembered (2016)
  • • Michael Gast – Horn
    • Brian Jensen – Horn
    • Herbert Winslow – Horn
    • Ellen Dinwiddie Smith – Wagner Tuba
    • Michael Petruconis – Wagner Tuba
    • Steven Campbell – Tuba
• Calling (2018)
  • • Michael Gast – Horn
    • Kevin Rivard – Horn
• In the Dark Light (2016)
  • • Emma Gregan – Horn
    • Alex Miller – Horn
• One Voice (2017)
  • • Michael Gast – Horn
    • Herbert Winslow – Horn
    • Ellen Dinwiddie Smith – Horn
    • Michael Petruconis – Horn
• Taps (2016)

Click here to purchase the album.

Click here to learn more about music on this album.

Learn more about Steven Juliani.