Wohlauf, Kameraden! German Cavalry Marches and Songs, 1928-1941

This album features twenty-two tradition steeped cavalry marches and songs from the last three hundred years of German history, presented in performances recorded between 1928 and 1941 by the actual bands of the Reichswehr's and Wehrmacht's elite cavalry regiments, as well as other German military, mounted and horse-drawn formations of the interwar- and early-World War II period.

Assembled in this compilation is a representative assortment of all the types of marches once performed by German cavalry- and field artillery units on parade. These include slow marches, marches at a trot and marches at a gallop, as well as several presentation marches played by ancient regiments whose names have long been celebrated in the annals of German military history. Further, in keeping with the cavalry 'feel' that this album strikingly conveys, several of the featured selections are introduced by cavalry bugle calls and/or kettle drum rolls, while the rarely-heard 'Paradepost' of the Prussian cavalry a fixture at German military parades that featured mounted units is also presented. Finally, and certainly most uniquely among all the German 'cavalry' compilations on CD that have appeared to date, 'Wohlauf, Kameraden' features magnificent vocal renditions of the most famous battle songs sung 'in the saddle' by German cavalrymen in wars throughout the last two centuries.

'Wohlauf Kameraden' has been highly acclaimed by the specialist press for its audio fidelity and technical quality, as well as for its scholarship. The electrical recordings assembled in this compilation date from an era which itself saw significant advances in recording technology, and they have been skillfully reengineered to 'unleash' their already considerable fidelity without compromising their historical authenticity or their period atmosphere. As an added bonus, the album also includes a twenty-four-page insert booklet (richly illustrated with previously unpublished photographs) that presents a survey of the history of cavalry in the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht, its traditions, the structure of German army mounted bands and the background of the featured musical selections.