Trumpets sound terrible when recorded except in controlled settings. Really, most of the posts on this blog are okay for recording quality, but nearly anything in an auditorium is just not as good as the real thing. Pretty sure this one from 2011 was done by a handheld Flipvideo, maybe a good smartphone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeFi_cGw3II - Baylor Trumpet ensemble 2011 Russell Abstract no. 2 (arr. Wiff Rudd)
Their ensemble sound isn't just good, it's spectacular. This is the kind of sound it must take years to foster. I imagine at least some members of the ensemble have been playing together for quite awhile, but wow even the 2012 winners didn't come close to this crew.
So how did they do it? I'm noticing a couple things: First, there's two permanent flugels holding up the low end. Having a conical sound to float on top of is a trumpet player's dream. Second, their tuning is immaculate. They've got one slightly grindy entrance right around the four minute mark when one of them (can't even tell who) doesn't spread a major second wide enough right away. That's the only intonation error I noticed. Timbre and tone are completely dependent on each other. You can't blend without being in tune, and you can't tune without blending. Third, I think the arrangement helps by supplying a key switch to flugel in the middle section for the top two players. I imagine that's probably a pretty relaxing part for them compared to some of the material they have to contend with in the outer sections. Finally, they're memorized. I don't know how they digested that whole piece, it's a scorcher, but they know the book and can spend their energy listening to each other.
How often do they rehearse? Is this a student ensemble or do they have faculty guidance? The sound is great. Some of the execution reminds me of the european trombone groups that students put together and rehearse for hours and hours a week.
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