There’s something lovingly archaic about the trumpet that lends an air of historic disorientation to these modern works. Trumpeter Philippe Schartz sends all manner of fiery tones through his brass valves, but there remains a distinct and sobering connection with tradition in these vivid, varied pieces.
This is displayed most obviously on Austrian composer Kurt Roger’s ‘Concerto Grosso No 1 Op. 27′ of 1936, a dandyish, baroque-ian jaunt which bounces and slips between jovial tonal passages and more jumbled assemblages reminiscent of Roger’s teacher Hans Eisler. Armenian Arum Arutiunian’s concerto of 1950 is the most well-known and celebrated piece here, a dense, colourful, cinematic work, playful and populist like a happier Shostakovich. The best two come first, and contain enough common threads as to view them as somehow connected. Harrison Birtwhistle’s ‘Endless Parade’ for trumpet, strings and vibraphone starts with piercing bite before slinking off, allowing the trumpet and vibes to mesh in a coldly beautiful way. The strings act as a shadow, trailing the soloists with smeared shadings before all collapsing in a brash crescendo. Christian Jost’s ‘Pieta’ retains the percussion, and the air of unhurried calm in the orchestra, yet the trumpet is restless, a stark contrast. Dedicated to Chet Baker, there’s a faint whiff of jazz here, an extension of what Miles Davis did with Gil Evans, but the emphasis on texture, shifting slowly like tilted planes, is very much Jost’s. A very fine disc indeed.
Joshua Meggitt
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