A reviewer in the October 2008 issue of Defilé: Official Publication of the International Military Music Society, Netherlands Branch, declares:

"The marches on this CD have been painstakingly selected to provide a representative presentation of the work of German mounted bands… the performances are on a high professional level and the technical quality [of the recordings] is truly excellent. In addition to a number of well-known parade marches, there is a selection of fine but lesser-known marches, all of which are special because they are presented in original cavalry arrangements… The insert booklet is unusually informative… From a musical and historical standpoint, [we] strongly recommend this CD."

INCLUDES TWENTY-TWO TRACKS! NEARLY SIXTY-FOUR MINUTES PLAYING TIME!

Wohlauf, Kameraden presents over one hour of tradition-steeped cavalry marches and songs from the last three hundred years of German history, recorded between 1928 and 1941 by the musicians of the mounted formations of the Reichswehr and Wehrmacht, as well as other German military- and civilian bands and choruses of the Weimar- and Third Reich eras.

Featured here are a host of historic and unmistakably “equestrian” marches, all of which have been carefully selected to provide a representative sampling of the tempos employed by German mounted units on parade. These include slow marches, marches at a trot and marches at a gallop, as well as numerous cavalry presentation marches once played by ancient regiments celebrated in the annals of German military history. Most strikingly and uniquely, Wohlauf, Kameraden also features magnificent VOCAL renditions of classic German cavalry battle songs that were heard in campaigns ranging from the Wars of Liberation (1813-1815) to the World Wars of the twentieth century.

Among the treasures featured in Wohlauf, Kameraden are such rarities as:

The Marsch der Pappenheimer Reiterschwadron, a dynamic concert march on cavalry themes written in honor of the Reichswehr formation that maintained the traditions of the heavy cavalry of the Bavarian Royal Army; a textbook performance of a rarely-heard but essential cavalry classic, the fanfare- like Paradepost of the Prussian Cavalry, which was a regular feature at German cavalry parades; and the percussive Trabmarsch of the Prussian Army’s élite Regiment der Gardes du Corps, performed by its actual “successor” regiment of the Reichswehr at Potsdam.

Also heard are Der Hohenfriedberger, the musical signature of Frederick the Great’s “Bayreuth Dragoons,” presented in an authentic yet seldom-heard arrangement for cavalry Trompeterkorps; a rare performance of the stirring Galoppmarsch of the 1. Leibhusaren-Regiment at Danzig, performed by the band of Reichswehr’s mounted detachment at Berlin-Lankwitz; and two traditional Saxon cavalry marches performed by the Trompeterkorps of the Wehrmacht’s 4th Artillery Regiment at Dresden, introduced by cavalry bugle calls.

Wohlauf, Kameraden also features several of the most important songs sung by German cavalrymen throughout the last two centuries, including Was blasen die Trompeten?, Ernst Moritz Arndt’s paean to the Prussian Hussar General Field Marshal Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher; the Schwedter-Reiterlied, the regimental song of the Wehrmacht’s Kavallerie-Regiment 6 at Schwedt on the Oder, written by the young Prussian aristocrat who commanded one of its Reiter squadrons; a jaunty cavalry song from the First World War, Hurra, Viktoria, which describes cavalrymen riding into “Feindesland” with pennants flying; and the album's title track, Wohlauf, Kameraden ("Come on, Comrades!"), the cavalry song from the Wars of Liberation (1813-1815) written by the legendary poet Friedrich Schiller, performed by a soldiers’ chorus with the "First Post" of the Cavalry Zapfenstreich as its introduction.

The restored performances assembled for this album capture a dash and élan invariably missing from modern military music programs, yet they communicate a crispness and immediacy that speak powerfully to modern listeners. The treble tones of German cavalry trumpets resound here once more in all of their crystalline clarity, backed by the thundering basses of kettledrums and the weighty, brass tones of helicon tubas. Even the ancient, valveless Feldtrompeten of the German cavalry, instruments once played by the privileged “Guilds of Heralds” of the Holy Roman Empire, speak again on this album with renewed, full-spectrum dynamism.

Years in the making, painstakingly researched and expertly produced, Wohlauf, Kameraden is accompanied by a richly illustrated, twenty-four page booklet that presents a thorough discussion of the German cavalry arm and its traditions, the structure of German army mounted bands, and the background of the featured musical selections.

Wohlauf, Kameraden features the following marches and cavalry songs:

Marsch der Pappenheimer Reiterschwadron (Rupprecht) 3:26
Band of the 7th Bavarian Engineer Battalion
Obermusikmeister Josef Schifferl, Conductor

Was blasen die Trompeten? Husaren heraus! - Reiterlied (Trad.-Arndt) 2:12
Male Chorus with Military Orchestra
Max Stange, Choirmaster

Parademarsch AM III, 1f (Krause) 3:16
Berlin Corps of Fanfares and Winds
M. Middeldorp, Conductor

Der Hohenfriedberger AM III, 1b (Trad.) 2:23
Trumpet Corps of the 4th Prussian Reiter-Regiment, Potsdam
Obermusikmeister Otto Wagner, Conductor

Parademarsch der 18. Husaren HM III A, 58 (Müller) 2:47
Berlin Corps of Fanfares and Winds
M. Middeldorp, Conductor

Trabmarsch des Regiments der Gardes du Corps HM III B, 7 (Trad.) 2:59
Trumpet Corps of the 4th Prussian Reiter Regiment, Potsdam
Obermusikmeister Otto Wagner, Conductor

Hurra, Viktoria! – Reiterlied (Trad.-Buchhorn) 3:09
Band of the 9th Prussian Infantry Regiment, Spandau with Vocal Quartet
Obermusikmeister Adolf Berdien, Conductor

Signal "Galopp" und Amazonenmarsch HM III B, 37 (Hertel) 3:09
Trumpet Corps of the 4th Artillery Regiment, Dresden
Obermusikmeister Fritz Waldau, Conductor

Paradepost und Schwedischer Reitermarsch AM III, 70 (Trad.) 3:05
Trumpet Corps of the 4th Prussian Reiter Regiment, Potsdam
Obermusikmeister Otto Wagner, Conductor

Kreuzritter-Fanfare (Henrion) 2:24
Trumpet Corps of the 4th Prussian Reiter Regiment, Potsdam
Obermusikmeister Otto Wagner, Conductor

Schwedter-Reiterlied (Bronsart von Schellendorff) 2:57
Band and Chorus of the Garrison Command, Paris
Stabsmusikmeister Ludwig Klamberg, Conductor

Signal "Schritt" und Parademarsch im Schritt HM III A, 64 (Baum) 2:22
Trumpet Corps of the 4th Artillery Regiment, Dresden
Obermusikmeister Fritz Waldau, Conductor

Trabmarsch des Dragoner-Regiments 2 HM III B, 30 (Trad.) 2:35
Trumpet Corps of Cavalry Regiment 6, Schwedt
Obermusikmeister Ludwig Klamberg, Conductor

Galoppmarsch des Leibhusaren-Regiments 1 HM III B, 22 (Trad.) 2:51
Trumpet Corps of the 3rd Prussian Supply-Train Detachment, Berlin-Lankwitz
Musikmeister Willi Thiele, Conductor

Reiters Morgenlied (Silcher-Hauff) 3:15
Male Chorus
Max Stange, Choirmaster

Des Grossen Kurfürsten Reitermarsch AM III, 72 (Graf von Moltke) 3:03
Wind Orchestra
Carl Woitschach, Conductor

Trabmarsch aus der "Quadrille" HM III B, 9 (Graf von Redern) 2:53
Trumpet Corps of the 3rd Prussian Supply-Train Detachment, Berlin-Lankwitz
Musikmeister Willi Thiele, Conductor

Hie guet Brandenburg allewege - Fanfarenmarsch (Henrion) 3:08
Military Orchestra with Fanfares
Army Music Inspector Oskar Hackenberger, Conductor

Trabmarsch "Ich hört ein Bächlein rauschen" HM III B, 46 (Schubert) 2:30
Wind Orchestra
Unnamed Conductor

Der Pappenheimer AM III, 138 (Trad.) 3:04
Cavalry Orchestra with Kettledrums
Joseph Snaga, Conductor

Kürassiermarsch "Grosser Kurfürst" AM III, 142 (Von Simon) 2:43
Trumpet Corps of Cavalry Regiment 6, Schwedt
Obermusikmeister Ludwig Klamberg, Conductor

Wohlauf, Kameraden! - Reiterlied (Zahn-Schiller) 3:19
Male Chorus with Military Orchestra
Hugo Rüdel, Choirmaster

Total Time: 63:41

"The editor of the 'Tonträger Rundschau' must admit that he is favorably predisposed toward new CDs from Brandenburg Historica, for he knows of no other US productions that offer anything comparable in the area of historic recordings. And one should not limit oneself to the USA alone, for even in Europe and Japan one has to search far and wide to find such productions. The carefully selected music on this CD has been reconstructed in exemplary, even incredible fashion, without encroaching on the integrity of the original material. It merits the highest praise! … [Regarding the accompanying English-language booklet], its richly illustrated presentation of the history of the German cavalry and mounted troops, as well as its commentary on the individual selections, deserves applause and recognition. [This is a] CD that will not only interest collectors and enthusiasts, but one which should also be included in every serious archive."

Mit klingendem Spiel: Zeitschrift der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Militärmusike. V., September 2008

"This is a truly magnificent product you will want to have… The sound quality is excellent, [with] no scratches, skips or 'wizzies' on the CD, which is amazing considering these recordings were made between 1928 and 1941. The marches consist of some of the classic German marches and some that will probably be new to you… If you have seen any of the three earlier recordings (still available by the way from Brandenburg Historica), you will recognize the quality of the work done in ‘Wohlauf, Kameraden.' [We] can recommend this CD as a first rate product and a welcome addition to what [we] hope will be a continuing series."

RVS: Newsletter of the Robert Hoe Branch of the International Military Music Society, November 2008