Trumpet Concerto in E flat major, Hob: VIIe/1 (1796) [14:42]
Johann Nepomuk HUMMEL (1778-1837)
Trumpet Concerto in E major, S.49 (1803) [18:42]
Johann NERUDA (1708- c.1780)
Trumpet Concerto in E flat major (c.1770) [16:08]
Ketil Christensen (trumpet)
Liepaja Symphony Amber Sound Orchestra/Atvars Lakstigala
rec. May 2012, Normunds Slava Riga Radio
DANACORD DACOCD742 [50:46]
The first two pieces on this CD owe their existence to the Austrian
virtuoso Anton Weidinger.
As a celebrated trumpeter, Joseph Haydn composed his infamous Trumpet
Concerto in 1796 for Weidinger to perform at the Imperial and
Royal Court Theatre in Vienna on 22 March 1800. Succeeding Haydn
as Kapellmeister to the Esterhazy family, in 1803 Johann Nepomuk
Hummel also composed his Trumpet Concerto for Weidinger.
This was first performed on New Year’s Day 1804 to mark Hummel’s
entrance into the court orchestra of Prince Esterhazy Nikolaus II.
Until Weidinger’s championing of an organisirte trompete
- writing music with chromatic scales to make use of the new klappentrompete
or keyed trumpet - the trumpet was merely used to provide harmonic
support. It was not the muscular or finely-tuned virtuosic instrument
it is today. The limited range, primarily high-register, of the
natural trumpet, whereby notes were altered through the vibration
of the lips, was developed to allow composers to incorporate melodies
in the middle and lower registers. This was a time of exciting possibilities;
composers were experimenting and discovering wondrous sounds. This
enthusiasm can be heard in Haydn’s Allegro and Hummel’s
Allegro vivace where obvious thematic parallels are evident.
Studying music at Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music and graduating
as a French-horn player, Atvars Lakstigala knows the inner workings
and capacities of brass musicians and instruments. This puts him
in a position to maximise their ability gallantly to charm and softly
to caress. Founded in 1881 as The Baltic Philharmonics, the
Liepaja Symphony Amber Sound Orchestra writhes with vigour.
Its woodwind section is particularly heartfelt as you can hear in
the agile bassoon passage in Hummel’s Concerto in E major.
The sound quality heard in this concerto allows both the orchestra
and soloist to be heard. No section of the orchestra and no quiet
passage for the soloist is muted or drowned-out.
The cornerstone of the trumpet repertoire - perhaps due to its extremely
catchy final movement - Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto contains
both high spirited and emotive passages. To perform this piece requires
confidence and assertiveness. However, gusto alone is not enough;
a degree of humility and reserve is imperative to deliver the profound
sincerity of the Andante. This, I feel, is where trumpeter
Ketil Christensen excels. Graduating from the Royal Academy of Music
in Copenhagen, studying in London, Paris and New York, Christensen
is a consummate performer. He has been playing the first trumpet
in The Royal Danish Orchestra since 1972. In this CD Christensen
blends the passionate, the plaintive and the piquant to portray
a range of emotions. His ability to interpret each musical phrase
and get behind the demographics of the piece to the heart of the
matter is what makes these recordings most praiseworthy.
Opening with a zesty and spirited Allegro, Hummel’s
Concerto contains unusual modulations which alert the listener
to Christensen’s virtuosity. Similarly, the woodwind section
of the orchestra demonstrates flare and punctuality. However, it
is the languorous Andante which, on this recording, errs
towards a Romantic style in its directness and arresting stillness.
Hummel’s concerto is usually performed in E flat major, however
on this recording it is performed in the original E major key.
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Czech composer of the eighteenth century, Johann Baptist Georg Neruda
composed his Trumpet Concerto for a corno di caccia. This
valveless horn is of the sort used in the works of Bach and Handel,
thus its range and agility is not as great as the modern trumpet.
However, this does not in any way undermine this magnificent piece.
Neruda’s Largo, written in the home key of E flat,
highlights Christensen’s ability to make his trumpet sing
as if the melody belongs to a loving aria. With subtle inflections
and varied articulations, Christensen’s tone remains pure
and steady.
Christensen has recorded Danish Concertos for Trumpet and Orchestra
with Collegium Musicaum and Danish Brass Concertos with the
Aalborg Symphony Orchestra. However, Christensen’s self-effacing
sound is perhaps most recognisable on the charming motion picture
CD Smile. I hope that upon listening to this CD, at least
one other Christensen admirer will emerge.
Lucy Jeffery
And another review ...
Ketil Christensen is a very experienced trumpeter and for over thirty
years has been the principal trumpet of the Royal Danish Symphony
Orchestra. Not only that, but he has had enjoyed parallel positions
in the Collegium Musicum in Copenhagen and was a co-founder of the
Royal Danish Brass Ensemble, in which he played for a decade. He
has teamed up with Latvian conductor Atvars Lakstigala and his strangely
named (at least it sounds strange to me) Liepaja Symphony Amber
Sound Orchestra, for a short programme of three trumpet concertos.
These are middle-of-the-road performances with modern instruments.
The recorded sound is a little blowsy and it’s not desperately
subtle, though I wouldn’t condemn it. I wondered if the engineers
were trying to inflate what seems like a relatively small band.
Certainly the basses sound a bit huffy and puffy in the mix. Against
that the band is well-disciplined and performs with conviction.
The winds in the slow movement of the Haydn Concerto are particularly
fine. Christensen plays the concerto rather straight, not bringing
overmuch colour to it. There’s one odd moment in the finale
when the tempo is more than halved before the last tutti; no idea
why.
Hummel’s Concerto is played in its original key in this recording
- important to note as it’s sometimes played in E flat these
days. The performance of the outer movements is a touch portentous
and unyielding. It lacks the kind of tonal and phrasal flexibility
that Maurice André brought to it in his recording with the
Ensemble Orchestral de Paris under Jean-Pierre Wallez, a disc I
reviewed
as part of Warner’s retrospective box set tribute to the trumpeter.
Christensen rather lacks the pinpoint precision that the Frenchman
brought to this work, not least in the trills, and the sense of
gracious elegance too. Johann Neruda’s Concerto was also something
André recorded. I think this is the best of the three concerto
performances. Christensen and Lakstigala take a decisive walking
pace tempo in the Largo, and their lithe approach works well
on its own terms. André was significantly slower and more
obviously expressive in his recording, with the same accompaniments
as the Hummel.
These are solid performances, but I can’t pretend that they
are in any way special.
Jonathan Woolf
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