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Wednesday, June 16 - 8:00 pm Barbara Butler, Charles Geyer, Vincent and Gabriel DiMartino, Eric Berlin  Kevin Eisensmith, Reporter
Eric Berlin was the second soloist of the evening. Berlin is the visiting assistant professor of trumpet at the University of Massachusetts and since 1998 has been principal trumpet of the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Trumpet Concerto by Evan Hause was written for Berlin in 2001, but was originally for solo trumpet and Vincent DiMartino returned to the stage, accompanied by his son Gabriel DiMartino, who is currently a student of John Hagstrom’s at DePaul University. The father/son combination performed Vivaldi’s Concerto in C for Two Trumpets. This chamber version, written by John Laverty, featured 14 accompanying instruments, made up of woodwinds and low brass. Both DiMartinos used G trumpets for this performance. Their beautiful quality of sound and expressive playing made it virtually impossible to distinguish one player from the The final two works were arranged and conducted by Donald Hunsberger, Professor Emeritus of Conducting and Ensembles at the Eastman School of Music. Both works featured the trumpet duo of Barbara Butler and Charles Geyer, who teach trumpet at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. The Carmen Fantasia began with each soloist performing the famous off-stage fanfare. They then entered the stage to continue brief cadenzas. Their choice of instruments for this work included C trumpets, piccolo trumpets, and flugelhorn. Some theatrics were also incorporated, giving the audience a sense of “boy-trumpet meets and finally wins girl-trumpet.” The piece ended with a rousing standing ovation from the audience.
A friend of mine once said “sometimes you leave them with a hug.” Such was the case of the final work of the night, an arrangement of Stephen Foster’s Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair. This work featured beautiful ensemble and solo playing, and ended with a final chord that drew a gasp from the audience. In all, this was a terrific performance by the Lamont Wind Ensemble and all of the soloists! |
Prelude Festival Overture - Howard Buss Program Profanation - Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) Sonata for Trumpet (1913)- Kent Kennan Trumpet Concerto (2001) - Evan Hause SHORT INTERMISSION Concerto in C for Two Trumpets - Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Carmen Fantasia (2004) - Georges Bizet Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair - Stephen Foster |
Any trumpet player who is “worth their salt” is familiar with the Sonata by Kent Kennan. Likewise, any trumpet player who has been involved with the International Trumpet Guild is familiar with Vincent DiMartino, the evening’s first soloist. DiMartino performed this piece with a beautiful, clear tone. He used the C trumpet for the majority of the piece, but switched to the B-flat trumpet in the last few measures of the second movement. The arrangement for band was well conceived, and featured an imaginative use of colors, especially in the woodwind section.
orchestra. The version for trumpet solo and wind ensemble was premiered in April 2004. In three movements, this challenging and sonically interesting piece is reminiscent of works by Jolivet and a nice addition to our repertoire. Berlin’s big, crystal-clear sound had great presence and was easily heard over the band at all times. He performed the piece on C trumpet, except for the beginning of the second movement, where he switched to the “flumpet,” an instrument manufactured by David Monette.
other.
