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TRUMPET CONCERTOS WITH WIND ENSEMBLE/BAND ACCOMPANIMENT A partial listing made for WASBE and the ITG by Timothy Reynish, July 2002 and posted on the WASBE web in 2003.
Works marked with an asterisk (*) are either in my CD collection or I can recommend them from personal experience of performances. The three works marked with a "+" were premiered at the ITG Conference in Manchester, UK in July 2002. Selected annotations follow the repertoire list (use the hyperlinks to jump to any particular work).
Researching the repertoire has been a terrific pleasure; I believe that there are more significant works for trumpet and wind ensemble/band than for any other combination. These include: • Kennan’s own arrangement of his Sonata • Turrin’s Chronicles written for Philip Smith of the New York Philharmonic • Lendvay’s virtuosic Concerto which was premiered by Martin Winter at the 1991 Manchester WASBE Conference • Hagen’s “funk” crossover Concerto - think Bogart in a trenchcoat, night-time (again) and falling rain • Jean Françaix’s little chamber work with wind dectet • Alfred Reed’s exploration of popular idioms, and • Robert Rumbelow’s expert realizations of Harmonie accompaniment to the Haydn and Vivaldi Double, written for the Eastman Wind Ensemble
And thanks to the ITG Conference in Manchester, July 2002, we have three more concertos!
ANNOTATED REFERENCES Richard Rodney Bennett: Concerto My own personal contribution to the genre of Trumpet with wind is in commissioning one of my favorite works, a “Desert Island disc”, the Concerto for Trumpet and Wind Orchestra by Richard Rodney Bennett, with its haunting slow movement, a tribute to Miles Davis based on "The Maid of Cadiz," which happens to be very similar to the theme of the whole concerto (a twelve-note theme which you can come away whistling). Jean Françaix: Le Gai Paris Scored for 1222;2 and trumpet; Published by Schott One of my favorite miniature concerti for and instrument, this is a typical witty Françaix piece, not too difficult but very effective. Daron Hagen: Concerto for Flugelhorn & Wind Ensemble (1994) Available on hire from E.C. Schirmer The work was written originally for Flugelhorn and strings in 1993, the wind version was premiered by the Northwest Washington Wind Orchestra conducted by Carolyn Vian with Donna Hagen as soloist. The composer writes: All in good fun, the concerto is a composer’s holiday which takes a wry affectionate look at three pop idioms. The first section ius marked “precise funk” and rings some new changes on the sort of punchy rhythms favoured by such so-called “Cross-over” talents as the Michaels Torke and Daugherty during the early eighties. It uses as a core idea a four bar groove from Torke’s infectious Adjustable Wrench. The second section is marked “slow swing” and consists of an extended vocalise for the soloist which evolves into a traditional unfolding 32-bar chorus. It's an homage to the great film noir soundtracks – think Bogart in a trenchcoat, night-time (again) and falling rain. The final section is marked “driving bop”. It is a series of written out choruses based on an eight bar “head” from Stanzas, Book IV by my first composition teacher, Les Thimmig. The genesis of this movement goes way back to when, around Christmas of 1983, Les’s son Adam was born. I sketched them as a congratulatory gift under the title, Merry Christmas, it’s a Boy. Recorded by Vern Sielert on Arsis CD 112 Baylor University Wind Ensemble, conductor Michael Haithcock. Kent Kennan: Sonata for Trumpet and Wind Ensemble Published Warner Bros Publications Recorded by James Thompson with Eastman Wind Ensemble, conductor Donald Hunsberger, on DH001CD, Eastman Wind Ensemble at 50. Kent Kennan writes: “I received a commission from the National Schools of Music to write a piece that was to be part of a series of contemporary works for various brass instruments. I think that it is a very hard combination to write for – trumpet and piano – partly because of the balance problems. I conceived of the original version as a sonata with more or less equal parts, rather than a piece with an all-important solo part and subordinate background. As a result, the new trumpet and wind ensemble version offers more opportunities for the two to interchange dynamically, so that the trumpet is sometimes just the top voice of the brass choir, for example.” Kamillo Lendvay: Concerto for Trumpet and Wind Symphony Orchestra 1. Senza Sordino 2. Intermezzo lirico 3. Rondo in Modo Classico This was written for the 1991 International Conference of WASBE and was premiered at the Royal Northern College of Music by Martin Winter with the Berkshire Youth Wind Orchestra. The first movement, Senza sordino, was originally written as a solo work for the ITG. Like the second, the movement is in a lyrical, discursive style, free cadenza-like passages alternating with more rhythmic sections. The finale is far from a pastiche classical movement, it is a bravura movement with an ironic march section. Recorded on Hungaraton HDC 31787 Fisher Tull: Rhapsody for Trumpet & Winds Theme and Variations Joseph Turrin: Chronicles The composer writes: I composed Chronicles in the summer of 1998. It is the second large trumpet work I’ve written for Phil Smith, the first being a Concerto for Trumpet commissioned by the New York Philharmonic in 1988. This work in many ways could also be considered a concerto if not in a strict sense of form at least in its expansiveness. Dana Wilson: Trumpet Concerto Dana Wilson writes: Throughout the world, the trumpet has been associated with leadership since at least the time of the ancient Egyptians, its image having been found for example, inscribed in the tomb of Tutankhamen and burial grounds in ancient Peru. This concerto is an exploration relationships, with the trumpet soloist in the role of leader. In the first movement, the trumpet takes charge of the ensemble "masses" and ends up - via call and response - directing them to action. The second movement reveals a leader amidst tragedy and is a meditation on the grief and compassion that a leader must express for the group. The third movement begins with the trumpet's uncertain response to "folk-like" community concerns, and works very gradually and arduously towards the leader's confluence with the body politic. Haydn/Rumbelow: Trumpet Concerto in Eb Published by Warner Bros Publications Some time ago, Robert Rumbelow began a series of arrangements of classical concerti for what he called extended Harmonie, basically a scoring for classical octet, plus flutes, trumpets and drums. There are now versions extant of the 2nd Mozart Concerto for Horn in Eb K417, the Mozart Clarinet Concerto, Vivaldi Double and the Haydn Concerto. Those with doubts as to how this would work might be interested in a comment by Kenneth Grant who premiered the Clarinet Concerto in this version, and who writes, "In a performance with orchestral accompaniment, you have the feeling that the clarinet solo voice is standing out in front of the ensemble – almost apart from the string textures – while this new wind Harmoniemusik accompaniment wraps around you and supports your sound." Vivaldi/Rumbelow: Double Concerto for Two Trumpets On hire from Robert Rumbelow, Director of Bands and Wind Ensemble, Columbus State University, 4225 University Avenue Columbus GA 31907 Tel 1 706 653 0003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||