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Simon Desbruslais, New horizons for wind and brass, Early Music, Volume 52, Issue 2, May 2024, Pages 284–286, https://doi.org/10.1093/em/caae010
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Approximately three years ago, I heard a prominent conductor reflect despondently on the direction of early music. He questioned whether it could extend further than the accompaniment of choral societies with period instruments, or beyond a reducing number of enthusiastic and well-meant early music festivals. He wondered whether early music had made its point, only to be superseded by newer, more fashionable trends in performance capable of attracting wider audiences (notwithstanding efforts by some ensembles to perform repertory from memory to add distinctive flair). It was not the first time that I had heard these sentiments, although receiving them from a respected practitioner resonated more powerfully. Furthermore, during the writing of this review, another distinguished conductor, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, removed himself from conducting commitments entirely following a widely reported controversy that has shone a spotlight on the early music industry and drawn into question working environments, creating what may in hindsight become a watershed moment. It is within this context that I shall frame my review of six new, largely wind and brass recordings (issued between 2018 and 2023), which shed some light on the current trajectory for early music and provide—by contradiction—many reasons for a positive outlook.
