The All Star Percussion Ensemble & Harold Farberman - Bizet, Beethoven, Pachelbel & Berlioz: Works Arranged for Percussion Ensemble (2018)

Originally recorded March 8 and April 12, 1982 at New York's Vanguard Recording Studio, Golden String and First Impression Music are pleased to present this 200-gram LP reissue, remastered by Doug Sax and pressed at Quality Record Pressings, a division of Acoustic Sounds, Inc. This deluxe LP includes an insert and is packaged in a graphic-embossed box with a hinged lid.

Born in New York City, Harold Farberman began his career as a percussionist. He won a scholarship to Julliard, was the spotlighted drummer at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and became at age 20 the youngest player in the history of the famed Boston Symphony Orchestra at that time. Later he earned a master's degree in composition from the New England Conservatory and became a sought-after conductor, lending his talents to such orchestras as the New Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, the Denver Symphony and the Oakland Symphony.

Here, Farberman has recorded works by four composers utilizing the All-Star Percussion Ensemble. The ensemble features 10 head percussionists from seven famous orchestras in the U.S.A., many of whom were Farberman's students. The 10 players handled a total of some 60 to 80 instruments, varying from piece to piece. On a high resolution audio system there are slight noises of the players' footsteps as they run from one instrument to another, maintaining synchronicity with Farberman's innovative arrangements.

Featuring a wonderful group of percussion arrangements and popular light classics that include Bizet: "Carmen Fantasy"; Beethoven: "Scherzo, from Symphony No. 9"; Pachelbel: "Canon in D" and Berlioz: "March to the Scaffold, from Symphonie Fantastique".