Friday, May 23 – 3:00pm
Ed Landreth Hall
Recital: Jouko Harjannne
Kari Hänninen, pianist

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Kevin Eisensmith, reporter

Each conference features a wide array of performers in what becomes an exhausting marathon of concerts. Still, there are performances that are “not to be missed;” Juoko Harjanne’s recital was one such event during the 2003 conference.

Harjanne placed second in the 1987 Prague Spring Trumpet Series and first place in the 1990 Ellsworth Smith International Solo Trumpet Competition, organized by ITG. He has made numerous solo recordings, and has an exclusive contract with Finlandia records to produce more high quality trumpet recordings in the future. Accompanied by pianist Kari Hänninen, Harjanne presented a “Tribute to Timofei Dokshiser.” The fourteen works performed were all played on the B-flat trumpet.

Harjanne began his performance with Ilia Shakhov’s Scherzo, a rousing work that featured florid chromatic passages and rapid tonguing. Harjanne displayed a beautiful, rich tone and effortless playing in this piece and throughout the entire program.

Next were two arrangements of compositions by Franz Liszt: Romance: Oh! Quand je Dors and Consolation No. 3. A hush fell over the audience as Harjanne played with a depth of sound equal to that of the finest operatic tenors. His performance was marred only by the sound of other trumpet players playing in other parts of the building. This “bleed-through” into the Ed Landreth Auditorium has been a problem throughout the conference, but did not seem to affect Harjanne’s performance. The audience held its breathe at the conclusion of each work, hesitant to break the mood.

The “March (from the Love of Three Oranges)” by Sergei Prokofiev was a rather straight-forward transcription that provided Harjanne with his greatest opportunity yet to display his virtuosity. In some ways this work served as a warm-up for the next piece, Rachmaninoff’s “Italienische Polka.” Alternating between a charming, playful melody and rapid phrases with fingers flying across the valves, the end of this piece brought murmurs of delight from the audience.

Following intermission, Harjanne returned to the stage with Mily Balakireff’s Georgian Song, a slow, rather contemplative piece. Three Fantastic Dances by Dimitri Shostakovich followed. The first dance was rather march-like, with arpeggiated flourishes, while the second movement featured a playful dialogue between the muted trumpet and piano. The final dance was a rather stumbling, drunken polka.

To the delight of the audience, Harjanne next performed Alexander Goedicke’s Concert Etude, Op. 49. Many in the audience have performed this work, but few at the tempo set by Harjanne! His blazing tempo was contrasted with well-placed rallentandos helping to delineate the major sections of this piece. Harjanne was never afraid to extend himself, reaching the extremes of tempo and dynamics throughout this concert. The conclusion of this piece and the audience’s response brought a smile to Harjanne’s lips, the first outward display of emotion in his performance. Two beautiful melodies by Jean Sibelius followed, Demanten på marssnön and Schwarze Rosen. Harjanne’s impeccable sense of phrasing and dynamic control was apparent in both short works.

The final work of the recital was also a piece well known to members of the audience: Alexander Arutunian’s Concert Scherzo. Harjanne again chose a brisk tempo that resulted in a wild ride, and which drew enthusiastic applause from an appreciative audience. Harjanne performed the Neopolitan Dance from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake as his encore. Certainly no dancer could have kept pace with his rendition!

Harjanne’s performance did not include the highest or loudest trumpet playing of the week, but it was certainly the most musical. His sense of phrasing and beautiful, full sound is worthy of imitation by all trumpet players. In the words of my students, he “Threw Down!” High praise indeed!

Trumpet Prelude:

The University of New Mexico
Trumpet Ensemble
Jeffrey Piper, Director

Fanfares In The Round - William Wood

Ensemble Members:

Piccolo Trumpets: Adam Hayes, Jared Prost,
Trumpets: Matt Casarez, Jim Bamonte, Katherine Gaden, Dylan Race, Jeremy Stanek, Matt Talmadge, Megan Christy, Eric Oliver, Kyle Woods, Dan Jonas, David Schripsema, Jennifer Ohms, Dustin Van Horn, Chris Moore, Kathy Leach, Carolyn Sanders, Bryan DePoy, Peter Lander, Steve Conrow, Larry Hill
Bass Trumpets: Jason Oliver, Garner Mathiasmeir, Karl Hinterbichler
Percussion: Scott Ney

Program:

Tribute to Timofei Dokshitser

Intermission