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Portraits in Brass Alexander ARUTUNIAN (b.
1920)
Trumpet Concerto in A flat major (1950) [18:38] Ferdinand DAVID (1810-1873)
Concertino for Trombone in E flat major Op. 4 (1837)
[15:12] Huug STEKETEE (b.1959)
Portraits [15:27] Edward GREGSON (b.1945)
Concerto for French Horn and Brass Band (1971) [17:08] Huug STEKETEE (b.
1959)
For Four and Jean-Baptiste – Quartet Piece [2:41]
Peter Masseurs
(trumpet); Timothy Dowling (trombone); Huug Steketee (cornet);
Jasper de Waal (French horn)
Hepworth (Lanson Homes) Brass Band/Mark Bentham
rec. Morley Town Hall, 27-28 January 2007; Royal Conservatoire,
The Hague, 25 February 2007 (Jean-Baptiste). DDD PROJECT
AUDIO C12327 [69:08]
This
is the second CD that Dutch trumpet and cornet virtuoso Huug
Steketee has produced under the name of his own recording
company, Project Audio. The first, Shining Waters,
focused on Steketee as composer and performer in a programme
that featured his own compositions and arrangements exclusively.
One of the delights of that first recording was not only
the playing of Steketee himself but that of his colleague
Peter Masseurs, the principal trumpet player of the Royal
Concertgebouw Orchestra. It is good to see that on this latest
disc Masseurs figures again, this time with the more challenging
and mouth-watering prospect of the well known Trumpet
Concerto of Armenian, Alexander Arutunian.
Into
the bargain we also get contributions from two other good
friends of Huug Steketee, fellow Netherlander and French
Horn player Jasper de Waal and Australian trombonist Timothy
Dowling. Despite his antipodean origins, Dowling is something
of an adopted Dutchman given that he has been resident in
the country since 1988 when he took up the position of principal
trombone with the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague.
For
anyone who knows the Arutunian Trumpet Concerto well
and has the sound of trumpet and orchestra firmly in mind
it might just take a little getting used to the sound of
the brass band accompaniment as given here. Steketee’s arrangement
however, prepared specifically for this recording, is effective
and ably pulled off by Mark Bentham and the Hepworth (Lanson
Homes) Band. As for Masseurs himself, trumpet players do
not come with a much higher pedigree than principal at the
Concertgebouw. The quality of the solo playing is evident
from the opening bars in crystalline clarity of articulation
and a brilliant sound. Masseurs colours the sound with consummate
skill in the contrasting sections that follow later in the
work. Stylistically he is very much his own man and listening
alongside a recording of the work by the young Russian virtuoso
Sergei Nakariakov, the Dutchman clearly takes a more conventionally “European” line,
both in terms of his interpretation and sound, yet there
is nothing lost in excitement whilst the refinement of the
playing never falters. The not-to-be-missed highlight is
the cadenza that comes shortly before the conclusion of the
work. It was written for this recording by Dutch composer
Theo Verbey (b. 1959). Masseurs despatches the technical
fireworks with almost disarming ease.
No
less impressive is Timothy Dowling in his performance of
the Concertino forTrombone by Ferdinand David.
A pupil of Louis Spohr and acquaintance of Mendelssohn at
the Leipzig Gewandhaus, David is little known other than
for this one work. It’s the closest the trombone repertoire
comes to a genuine “classical” concerto in the strictest
sense of the word. Dowling is something of a specialist in
baroque and period performance and there is an immediate
sense of his stylistic ease in music that would not come
naturally to every trombonist. Dowling’s sound is surprisingly
English in tone, a sign perhaps of his early upbringing in
Australian brass bands, whilst the artistry is faultless.
The band too deserves credit for its sensitive accompaniment
which is always dynamically aware and carefully shaped by
the conductor.
Huug
Steketee’s contribution is a substantial fifteen minute work
of his own. Portraits takes the form of a series of
contrasting episodes, easy on the ear and tinged with affection
and a hint of nostalgia in its fireside reflections of childhood
and people lost but not forgotten. It’s an attractive piece,
clearly with personal resonances for composer and soloist,
whose playing glows with the warmth of the underlying sentiment.
Steketee’s lyrical playing - as in his first CD Shining
Waters - is a textbook model. It perhaps bears testimony
to his own long term immersion in the Arban cornet method,
a textbook of almost biblical status to many generations
of trumpet and cornet players.
Edward
Gregson’s effervescent Concerto for French Horn and Brass
Band dates from the early 1970s, a time when the composer’s
interest in writing for the brass band was at its highest
peak. It’s a work that has been recorded several times by
a number of fine soloists including Frank Lloyd and Ifor
James. Jasper de Waal stands with the best of them, notably
in the affecting central Andante Cantabile, beautifully
and atmospherically captured with some melting sounds from
both soloist and band. The exuberance and joie de vivre of
the outer movements is due in no small measure to the contribution
of the band. The soloist’s admirably controlled playing allows
the natural warmth of the instrument to shine with nothing
sacrificed in terms of excitement.
Retailing
at around six pounds this is a CD that is just about as good
as it gets when it comes to value, especially when in the
company of brass musicians as talented as Huug Steketee and
friends. The names of the soloists might not be immediately
familiar in the UK but it is to be hoped that, with the help
of this introduction, there might be more yet to come from
Project Audio.
One
final word for the fleeting encore number that rounds the
disc off in a little over two and a half minutes. For
Four and Jean-Baptiste is another nod towards Steketee’s
beloved Arban, being based on one of the studies from his “Cornet
Method”. Bringing the four soloists together in a miniature
showcase, I defy anyone to listen to this delightful little
quartet without it bringing a smile to the face.
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