Music |
Trumpet Concertos
Maurice Andre
By
Published: Jan 01, 2005
Category:
Classical
Trumpet Concertos
Maurice Andre
A great trumpet solo cuts sharper than a laser.
Maybe it’s something about a high note, expertly played on a brass instrument. It reminds us that trumpets are the instrument of choice at the gates of heaven. And the instrument that signals the start of battle, the arrival of royalty, the death of a soldier.
The expansion of the trumpet beyond its military and ceremonial functions is not a new phenomenon. It started centuries ago, when composers moved beyond instrumental music as a project to duplicate the human voice. Individual trumpet players, eager to enlarge their repertoire, did the rest — they transcribed music intended for strings for their own use.
These classical trumpet pieces, as played by Maurice Andre, are a revelation. (And a crazy bargain: 127 minutes of great music for $13.98.) Consider the very first concerto on this two-volume CD: Bach’s Brandenburg No. 2, a piece that can easily lure second-rate players to their disgrace. Not Maurice Andre. High notes are nothing to him. There is no stress, no strain in his playing; he is inside the music, expressing exactly what the composer intended.
Effortlessness is why Maurice Andre is generally regarded as the greatest trumpet player of the 20th century. But you would not have picked him for greatness. The son of a French coal miner — who was, happily for us, an amateur trumpet player — he started playing trumpet at 12. He quickly graduated from popular songs to classical pieces. A savvy teacher directed him to a Paris conservatory . But his family had no money; Maurice cleverly joined a military band, which entitled him to free study at the conservatory. Winning first prize at the Geneva International Competition put him on the map. By 1963, he had a burgeoning solo career. Recordings followed, and fame.
The composers are Bach, Handel, Telemann, Haydn, Albinoni, Vivaldi. The conductors are Riccardo Muti and Neville Marriner. And there is one trumpet player, who takes you with him as he climbs, note by note, to a standard of music excellence that will, without fail, make you feel that ours is an orderly universe of infinite beauty.
To buy ‘Trumpet Concertos’ from Amazon.com, click here.
