Customer Rating:
Summary: Patrotic Saga
Comment: Altissimo! continues to try and improve its product range. Often with varying results, but at least we have an almost full length CD here with some decent liner notes. The 45 minute teasers of the past same to be gone. (For now at least) This collection of recordings, and I must emphasize that, as none of these are current tracks, spans a pretty wide range of US patriotic music. There's a bit more variety than usual here for an Altissmo! product, and a lot of music with signifiance to the US Military Academy at West Point. The sound quality is decent, and even though we have no idea when these recordings were made, the sound engineering has made them consistant in their quality. Altissmo! has learned a few tricks from their past efforts.

Over all not a bad CD with the usual heavy-hand of patrotic numbers, but with some nice choral selections by the band's choir, and a few good marches not offered on other Altissimo! albums for a change. Keep up the work Altissimo! One day you shall give us a real market quality product!!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Music
Comment: By the title, Altissimo's latest CD, "Duty, Honor, Country," would appear to be just another compilation of patriotic and military music. Upon listening, however, I quickly realized that this is far from just another patriotic CD. The CD features highly spirited music with excellent sound reproduction.
The music by the US Army Field Band and Chorus spans the time from the Civil War to modern day. While some of the songs are well known, there were several that I heard for the first time, most notably "Fantasia on the Army Blue." According to the liner notes, this number, written by Ira Hearshen, was commissioned by the Army Field Band on the occasion of the bicentennial of the U.S. Military Academy. The number depicts Hearshen's impression of West Point in music and is based on the Academy song "Army Blue."
One of the highlights of the CD is a very moving and heartfelt narration by General Norman Schwarzkopf called "Duty, Honor, Country." This adaptation of a speech by General of the Army Douglas McArthur is "right on" and brings a feeling of pride to those who hear it.
No collection of military or patriotic music is complete without Sousa's "The Stars and Striped Forever," and this collection is no exception. The march is the last selection on the CD, and I believe that the producer truly saved the best for last. I consider this version one of the most perfect I have ever heard. The seldom-heard words were sung by the Soldier's Chorus, and the piccolo part (which is what makes the march so great) was an absolute perfect performance.
All in all, this is a CD that should be added to the collection of every patriotic American.

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