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Thursday, June 17 - 5:30 David Montgomery, Reporter One of the more interesting concerts of the 2004 ITG Conference was performed by Andrea Giuffredi who has a varied and impressive background having performed principal trumpet with most of the major Italian orchestras. He has also played lead trumpet with various big bands. His program included all world premieres.
The second piece entitled Afterthoughts is for trumpet alone and was written for Giuffredi by F. Campo. This piece displayed his excellent command of all registers and virtuosic technique. Afterthoughts called for Giuffredi to move from stage left to stage right with two playing locations specified. Stage left was performed without mutes and consisted mainly of jazz elements while stage right was done muted and was more angular and fragmented. Through all of this Giuffredi’s performance seemed both effortless and flawless.
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Trumpet Prelude: University of Oregon Trumpet Ensemble Instructions - Stephen Dunn Assertion for Trumpet Ensemble - Tim Clarke Afterthoughts (trumpet alone) - F. Campo Black White (trumpet and piano) - N. Ferro L’ Anacoreta (trumpet and tape) - A. Giuffredi A BRIEF PAUSE “Forme D’Arte” Suite (trumpet and tape) - DiGregorio/Giuffredi Afrika (trumpet and tape) - R. Bellafronte |
The concert began with a work written by Giuffredi entitled L’Ancoreta meaning “the hermit.” The piece, for trumpet and tape, is a free improvisation and is meant to depict the “solitary hermit looking for his own truth.” As Giuffredi stated “I try to represent the sound of my trumpet to the sound of this imaginary personality.” The work began off stage in a mysterious and contemplative style. Then Giuffredi moved on stage and the mood shifted to a more relentless and searching quality. Throughout the work various fragmented and improvisatory passages combined with unique instrumental effects. The piece ended suddenly with a final murmur and exit from the stage. The final result was highly effective.
Third on the program was another piece for trumpet and tape. “Forme D’Arte” Suite consisted of pre-recorded trumpet music, all recorded by Giuffredi, composed by Daniele Di Gregorio, and a trumpet solo written by Giuffredi. About the work Giuffredi wrote, “The project originates from my desire to find acoustic colors and expression through a solo trumpet ensemble. For this reason I searched for new music characterized both by originality and acoustic experimentation. I started a collaboration with Daniele Di Gregorio who presented me with a series of extremely ‘open’ pieces that could leave sufficient space for me to use my creativity, allowing me to use different kinds of mutes and instruments to compose various solos and improvisations to get to the heart of the project.” The work consisted of several sections and again displayed Giuffredi’s mastery of the trumpet and command of both lyrical and technical playing. In particular the second section, resembling that of a ballad, was performed with a very rich and sonorous tone and demonstrated his sensitivity and expression. Another section called for Giuffredi to move around the stage improvising over the multiple tonguing of the pre-recorded trumpets while experimenting with the acoustics of all parts of the stage. All along the pre-recorded parts were themselves relentless and demanding while displaying a hypnotic quality. The final section performed was without tape and consisted of highly improvisatory passages again showcasing Giuffredi’s virtuosity. Unfortunately, the concert ended abruptly over confusion about a technical problem with the audio; thus, bringing the concert to a close. Nevertheless, Giuffredi’s performance was outstanding and representative of a highly skilled and accomplished artist. 