Christmas with the 5 Browns

by The 5 Browns

Overview

The 5 Browns, piano-playing siblings from Utah, suggested comparisons to the Osmonds or the Jackson 5 when they came on the scene in the early 2000s. Juilliard trained, they have approached their careers seriously. They have commissioned and performed a concerto for five pianos by Nico Muhly, and their celebrity has survived the wearing-off of the initial novelty, and also a sexual abuse trial that has seen their father imprisoned for ten years. In 2013, they were signed to the Steinway & Sons label, which specializes in recordings that evoke the golden age of pianism; while this kind of piano quintet has no precedent, piano spectaculars were part and parcel of that golden age. Christmas with the 5 Browns is an enjoyable example of their style. Here, as typically, they don't play every piece with five pianos; each member of the quintet gets the spotlight for a time, and there are pieces with smaller groupings. Here these include Carl Czerny's delightful arrangement of "For Unto Us a Child Is Given" from Handel's Messiah, HWV 56. The full group opens the show with excerpts from The Nutcracker and reunites for a spectacular Carol of the Bells at the end. Along the way, there are popular pieces like Waldteufel's Skaters' Waltz and forgotten scraps like the finale of Victor Hely-Hutchinson's Carol Symphony. The program ebbs and flows satisfyingly, and it's accessible without being overdone. Recommended. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	11/01/2019
Label:	Steinway & Sons
UPC:	0034062301249
Rank:	194432

Tracks

1. Nutcracker Suite~Miniature Overture
2. Nutcracker Suite~March
3. Nutcracker Suite~Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
4. Nutcracker Suite~Russian Dance
5. Cantata No. 147~Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
6. Messiah~For Unto Us a Child Is Born
7. O Holy Night
8. Sleigh Ride: A Holiday Excursion for Five Pianos
9. Still, Still, Still
10. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
11. Mari¿¿ Wiegenlied (Mary's Lullaby), Op. 76 No. 52
12. Aus der Jugendzeit, pieces (20) for piano, Op. 17~Weihnachtstraum (Silent Night)
13. Skater's Waltz
14. Turandot~Turandot's Frauengemach: Greensleeves
15. A Carol Symphony~Finale
16. Carol of the Bells

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The 5 Browns   Primary Artist,Ensemble
Desirae Brown   Piano
Ryan Brown   Piano
Deondra Brown   Piano
Gregory Brown   Piano
Melody Brown   Piano

Technical Credits

Jerry Vezza   Piano Technician
Adam Abeshouse   Engineer,Producer,Mastering Engineer
Leroy Anderson   Composer
George Frederick Handel   Composer
Casey Welch   Photography
Renee Oakford   Assistant Producer
Jeremy Kinney   Assistant Engineer
Jackie Fugere   Art Direction
Eric Feidner   Executive Producer
Jon Feidner   Executive Producer
Mack Wilberg   Arranger
Ferruccio Busoni   Composer
Greg Anderson   Arranger
Victor Hely-Hutchinson   Composer
Mykola Leontovych   Composer
Emile Waldteufel   Composer
Anilda Carrasquillo   Design
Johann Sebastian Bach   Composer
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky   Composer
Adolphe Adam   Composer
Jeffrey Shumway   Arranger
The 5 Browns   Liner Notes
Kevin Olson   Arranger
Melody Brown   Arranger
Carl Czerny   Arranger
Max Reger   Composer
Harold Bauer   Arranger