French trumpeter Lucienne Renaudin Vary chooses the B-flat trumpet. After hearing the Classical Era pieces on this program, I think I prefer the brighter timbre of the E-flat trumpet.
On this program are three Classical-Era trumpet concertos. The earliest is represented by Johann Baptist Neruda's Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major. If one had any queries regarding its position in history, one only needs to hear the basso continuo with harpsichord, plus the simple accompanimental features of the string orchestra, to place it as an early work.
Following Neruda comes Franz Joseph Haydn's very famous Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major. Along with his final 'London' Symphony no. 104, I could probably hum the entirety of the work from start to finish, so familiar is this music.
Not long after Haydn arrives Johann Nepomuk Hummel's Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major, another work of familiarity, although not to anywhere near the extent of Haydn's work. While Haydn might have the edge in combining divine melodies with well thought-out structures, Hummel builds upon the master's capabilities with some unexpected harmonic deviations and equal thrills. Both are mandatory listening for trumpet lovers.
Skipping ahead 200 years following Neruda' concerto enters Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian's Trumpet Concerto in A-flat Major. This is a one-movement, 15-minute affair, but is divided into many smaller sections of varied tempo differences. If you like the Nationalistic exoticisms from the Caucuses, this will be an enjoyable listen, for its modal landscape is full of dramatic turns and unexpected leaps. Certainly it seems Vary agrees, and ekes the very most out of this particular concerto.
Of rather short measure is the Concerto for Trumpet from Harry James, a jazz trumpeter of some renown. The piece is only three minutes long, and James easily conveys the big-band settings in its short runtime. As an 'added bonus', Vary was caught Improvising on Haydn, and its inclusion sheds some light on her loves as a trumpeter.
As I said at the top, I don't think I really care for the use of B-flat trumpet in the Haydn and Hummel concertos anymore, and I think this probably extends to the lesser-known Neruda concerto as well. Vary approaches these works in a rather straight-forward manner, never really putting her personal mark on this music. On the other hand, one can certainly sense her love of jazz in the choice, pacing, and placement of Vary's rubato, so it came as no surprise that she chose a jazz-inflected piece to send-off this program when it finally arrived on the program, nonetheless finishing off on an improvisatory feature. There is no mention of what cadenza's Vary is using, however, one can assume they are most likely her own creations.
Perhaps it is the exploration of something more unknown, but Vary excels in Arutiunian's concerto. There is certainly a lot of variety thrown into its 15 minutes, where the modal scales are always a distinct surprise, and the exotic adventures come across in spades. This is certainly flashy music!
Vary is most confident in Harry James' Concerto for Trumpet, thrusting a whole lot of jazz idioms into a 3-minute piece. Truthfully, if this is where Vary's interests lay, the whole album should have taken up this type of literature.
Michael Sanderling and the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra are in fine mettle, coming across clearly in their rehearsal space. For the most part they stay out of Vary's way, although the wind remarks in the Classical-Era concertos pleasantly come through with plenty of timbral character, particularly in the Hummel.
This recital of trumpet concertos is not enough of a hit out of the park to have me recommend it over starrier recordings of similar programming. However, if you have interest in this trumpeter or want to expose yourself to the jazz stylings of Harry James, pick it up. Too bad the liner notes don't have any information regarding any of these works either, instead preferring to include some thoughts from Vary only. Certainly the many pictures of her across the media expose her love of shoe-less living!
Works
Johann Baptist Neruda
Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major (15.05)
Franz Joseph Haydn
Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major (14.48)
Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major (18.05)
Alexander Arutiunian
Trumpet Concerto in A-flat Major (16.48)
Harry James
Concerto for Trumpet (3.10)
Lucienne Renaudin Vary
Improvisation on Haydn (1.29)
Soloists
Lucienne Renaudin Vary, trumpet
Ensemble
Lucerne Symphony Orchestra
Michael Sanderling, conductor
Label: Warner Classics
Year: 2022
Total Timing:69.28
Not a definitive choice for these Classical-Era concertos, but fine for those who enjoy Vary's barefoot style.
More interesting are the Arutiunian and James concertos.
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