Baroque Trumpet Concertos

Read About This Recording

The baroque trumpet had many attributes that made it perfect for a composer to single it out as a soloist with an orchestra or chamber group — agility, lightness, long sustained notes combined with its ability to play short, quick staccato and most of all it was loud. Its pleasing timbre could be heard over the din of the ensemble, especially in large halls or church settings. Eventually a virtuoso class of player began to emerge and composers took note. Vivaldi, Stölzel, Torelli and Telemann all recognized these attribute and it's not surprising they wrote works that prominently feature the trumpet. The trumpet at this time was valveless and the skill and facility of the player were at a premium, as notes were played not only as partials of the fundamental but were lipped up or down — a dangerous and, frankly, nerve racking way of making music.

Vivaldi's Concerto for two Trumpets is probably his most famous work featuring trumpet — with two trumpets imitating each other almost as a challenge ending up in sympathetic cooperation. Gottfried Stölzel was well acquainted with Telemann and flourished throughout central Germany. Giuseppe Torelli who, along with Arcangelo Corelli, is credited with inventing the concerto form, composed more than 30 concertos for 1 to 4 trumpets. Telemann is the most prolific composer of all time with more than 800 works. The Trumpet Concerto in D is his only "true" work for the instrument; the other concerto on this album is actually a sonata originally written for oboe and arranged for trumpet.

Maurice André is considered the greatest classical trumpet soloist in history. A bear of a man who performs mainly on the tiny piccolo trumpet, he rose to international fame in the 1960s with his recordings of Baroque masterpieces. Exhausting that repertoire, he made and commissioned many transcriptions of other Baroque works — including oboe, flute and voice. He was a key personality in the rebirth of interest in Baroque music during the 1960s. His playing is flawless and technique outstanding. Backing him up is the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields under the direction of Sir Neville Marriner. A great recording that should not be missed.

—J. Maxwell Fletcher

Quotes

"Maurice André has rightly earned the reputation of being one of the finest trumpet virtuosos from the 20th and 21st centuries." —All Music Guide

Contents

Stölzel: Concerto for Trumpet, Strings & Basso Continuo in D Major; Concerto grosso for 6 Trumpets, Strings & Basso Continuo in D Major; Telemann: Concerto for Trumpet, Strings & Basso Continuo in C Minor; Concerto for Trumpet, 2 Oboes, Strings & Basso Continuo in D Major; Vivaldi: Concerto for 2 Trumpets, Strings & Basso Continuo in C Major, RV.537; Concerto for Trumpet, Violin, Strings & Basso Continuo in B-flat, RV.548; Concerto for Trumpet, Oboe, Strings & Basso Continuo in C, RV.534; Torelli: Sinfonia for 4 Trumpets & Strings in C Major.

Maurice André, Bernard Soustrot, Thierry Caens, Jean-Paul Leroy, Trumpets; Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields/Sir Neville Marriner; Ensemble Orchestral de Paris/Jean-Pierre Wallez.