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"...John Foster covers most of the solo spots and performs with great clarity
and precision. His performance on Scartatti's Mio tesoro per te moro is gorgeous..."
"(Australian Baroque Brass) ...performs with great enthusiasm and virtuosity"
Historical Brass Society (USA) 2007
"From the opening work, Monteverdi's famous Toccata from L'Orfeo, though
to the last, Altenburg's Concerto for seven trumpets and timpani, I found
myself spellbound"
"...Australian Baroque Brass' relaxed yet thrilling playing style"
ABC Limelight Magazine
"John Foster's trumpet sent the praise of god into all the lands"
Adelaide Advertiser
"...public jubilation, helped by the splendid trumpet playing of John Foster"
Sydney Morning Herald
"The result, when played by master musicians as on this occasion is a golden sound"
"Anna Sandstrom's pure, clear soprano was heard to great advantage"
".the program also gave listeners a chance to enjoy some superb playing"
The Mercury
"(The Australian Baroque Brass) demonstrated the primal appeal of their period instruments in this concert, and also their surprising versatility"
"Handel's Eternal Source of Light Devine, with soprano Anna Sandstrom and Foster, accompanied by David Drury's organ continuo, was pretty near flawless and made a thrilling finale..."
Canberra Times
"It was therefore with excited anticipation that a large audience assembled to hear the Australian Baroque Brass. They were richly rewarded by a performance that gave an excellent introduction to the varied trumpet repertoire of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries."
".the highlight of the concert was an exquisite performance of Handel's Eternal Source of Light Devine .with the wonderful soprano voice of Anna Sandstrom. She sang with a purity of tone which blended seamlessly with John Foster's sensitive baroque trumpet playing
"In this performance the liquid quality and enharmonic capabilities of the alto sackbut (Brett Favell) provided a refreshingly contrasting brass voice that added greatly to the program, and complimented the beautiful voice of Miss Sandstrom."
Australian Trumpet Guild Journal
Review - Music of a Golden Age
The Australian Baroque Brass Ensemble was formed in 2003 under the direction
of trumpet virtuoso John Foster. This recording offers a program of 15 pieces,
the majority of which feature the trumpet ensemble, but it also includes
repertoire featuring other instrumentations. The ensemble is solidly musical
and performs with great enthusiasm and virtuosity. The well-known pieces
that feature the trumpet ensemble include Monteverdi's Toccata from L'Orfeo,
the Biber Sonata Sancti Polycarpi, and his Sonata
á 7, C.P.E. Bach's Marche,
the Aufzug aus Musikalische Schlittenfahrt by Leopold Mozart, Altenburg's
Concerto
á VII, and three anonymous fanfares. Involving other forces, the
CD includes; Mozart's Divertimento No. 6, K. 188, Sonata for 4 trombones
by Speer, the Aira Offen euch, ihr beiden Ohren from Cantata 175, and a lovely
praeludium for organ by Buxtehude. John Foster covers most of the solo spots
and performs with great clarity and precision. His performance on Scartatti's
Mio tesoro per te moro is gorgeous and he matches the florid and brilliant
singing of Anna Sandstrom with wonderful results. His use of ornamentation
is also very effective.
The biography in the liner notes mentions Foster's impressive performance
history as well as his involvement with Naumann trumpets. The instruments
used are not mentioned but I gather they are vented trumpets. The notes also
indicate that some ensemble members also play cornetti. Perhaps their next
recording might feature some cornett repertoire. Still, this present recording
does offer an enjoyable and wide ranging program of works that feature brass,
from the wonderful "standards" to some less well-known but beautiful and
beautifully played pieces.
Jeffrey Nussbaum
Historical Brass Society (USA) 2007
CD Review "MUSIC OF A GOLDEN AGE"
Australian Baroque Brass under the direction of Sydney Symphony trumpeter
John Foster has recently released a fine CD entitled "MUSIC OF A GOLDEN AGE"
on the Tubicium Records label. A wide variety of brass, vocal and organ music
is featured on this album beginning with music from Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643)
and spanning over two centuries to finish with the music of Johann Ernst
Altenburg (1734-1801). Biber, Speer, Fantini, Scarlatti, J.S.Bach and W.A.Mozart
are just some of the other wonderful composers represented on this recording.
The works presented display great virtuosity from all the participants. Timbre
of sound from the natural trumpets and sackbuts is rich and full and generally
the intonation is very pleasing. Great support is given to the group from
other instrumentalists but especially from Richard Miller (timpani) and David
Drury (organ). Anna Sandstrom (soprano) and John Foster (natural trumpet)
show a wonderful empathy with a musical presentation of Alessandro Scarlatti's
"Mio tesoro per te moro".
One of many highlights is the final track, a superb performance of the "Concerto
a VII Clarini con Tymp" (Altenburg), which is performed with much spirit.
Overall the quality of this recording is of a very high standard and I thoroughly
recommend it. Congratulations to John Foster and his colleagues for giving
Australia, and of course the rest of the world an excellent recording of
"MUSIC OF A GOLDEN AGE".
Peter Walmsley OAM
Australian Trumpet Guild Journal, September 2006
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