Since i misrepresented the contents of the BIS disc, it's up to me to
respond to my own post:

BIS CD-565 (20th Century Music for Trumpet & Organ) _does_ include
Persichetti's_The Hollow Men_ in a wonderfully soaring performance by
Anthony Plog (t) & Hans-Ola Ericsson (o).  The rest of the program is:
Petr Eben: Okna (Windows); Plog: Four Themes on Paintings of Edvard
Munch; Alan Hovhaness: Prayer of St Gregory; Andre Jolivet: Arioso
barocco & Douglas Lowry: Suburban Measures.

Crystal CD666 (the number of the beats?) (Pistons & Pipes; with Richard
Giangiulio (t) & Paul Riedo (o) mixes modern & recent compositions &/or
transcriptions for the combination; with: Handel: Suite in D major;
Girolami Fantini: Three Sonatas; Pietro Baldassare: Sonata in F, no.1;
Hovhaness: Sonata; Andrea Grossi: Sonata Decima; Henri Tomasi:
Variations Gregoriennes & Vincenzo Bellini: Concerto in E flat.

Given that this correspondent is a 20th century specialist, BIS has the
more logical program; & a spectacular cathedral sound which either nails
this works perfectly or shoots 'em dead (depending on your taste for such
sonorities).  Crystal's sound is drier & cleaner in the label's house
style; which i think works better in the more classical scores than with
either Hovhaness or Persichetti; although as a performance, Giangiulio &
Riedo go head to head with Plog & Ericsson without apologies.  Both discs
include acceptable liner notes; although Crystal's (by Giangiulio) are in
that peculiar fold me up/fold me down Almodovar which the company
inexplicably prefers....

Based on my admittedly limited experience with Persichetti's writing,
The Hollow Men seems somewhat atypical of his classic Romanticism...  it's
no accident - to me, @ least - that both of these recordings pair the work
with pieces by Hovhaness; as the sonorities achieved seem distinctly
kindred.  Like Hovhaness's Prayer of St Gregory, THM (which was originally
scored for trumpet & strings...  also like the Prayer) seems a major
miniature for the trumpet & should be a lot better known outside US-America
than it currently is...  perhaps trumpeters are terrified of the way both
composers expose to awe or ridicule the pure sound of the soloist....

In respect of the original enquiry: the BIS disc is likely to be a lot
easier to obtain here in Australia than the Crystal....

All the best,
Robert Clements <[log in to unmask]>