Wednesday, June 22
5:30 p.m. - RECITAL: Eric Berlin with Eduardo Leandro, percussion
Grand Hotel Grand Ballroom
Scott Brown, reporter
An unofficial extension of this morning’s New Works Recital, Eric Berlin and Eduardo Leandro performed music mostly commissioned by them for their appearance at the 2005 ITG Conference.
 The program opened with Rave and Rapture by Evan Hause. This piece, for trumpet and bongo, featured driving rhythms, and was crafted disjunct lines in the solo trumpet part. Berlin handled the complexities of these intervallic demands with ease. Rave and Rapture employed many contemporary and non-traditional techniques for the trumpet including growling, flutter tonguing, and multi-phonics. Berlin and Leandro work very well together in their ability to express themselves musically.
The second piece on the program was titled The End of the Matter. Written by Salvatore Macchia, this was by far the most difficult selection on the program with Berlin warning in advance that this piece would be challenging both the performers and the audience alike. The End of the Matter required a great deal of endurance, both physical and mental, for both players. For Berlin, it required him to play extended passages in all ranges, at all dynamic levels, and with a variety of articulations that was daunting to say the least. For Leandro this piece required frequent changes from one instrument to another and was intricate in its complex logistical and rhythmic demands. Both performers rose to the challenges required to successfully premiere Macchia’s challenging new work.
 The program continued with Three Songs for Trumpet and Marimba by Eric Ewazen. Originally written for soprano and piano, Chris Gekker performed it as a piece for trumpet and piano. Having heard this, Berlin asked Ewazen to arrange it for trumpet and marimba. This piece helped to balance things from a programmatic standpoint as it contrasted in a positive fashion with the other selections. Berlin and Leandro performed the more reasonable demands of this selection, versus the Macchia, with excellent control as the two made wonderful music.
The recital closed with Vignettes for Trumpet and Percussion by James M. Stephenson III. Vignettes used the widest array of instruments both for Berlin and Leandro. The piece is comprised of seven short Vignettes and one quite short encore consisting of a cymbal crash and one loud pitch from the trumpet. Although still a very serious work, this was definitely the most lighthearted offering on the program. Eric Berlin and Eduardo Leandro have collaborated to bring a number of interesting works into trumpet/percussion sphere. With such an advanced sense of creative drive, and with their ability to successfully commission new and interesting repertoire, we’ll have to wait and see what they come up with next!
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PRELUDE: Thailand Festival Trumpet Ensemble
Grand Hotel Grand Ballroom
Members: James Sherry, Lertkiat Chongjirajitra, Thanu Rasaraj, Viroj Srisunanrat
Two Fanfares - Richard Wagner
Scherzino - Jack Normain Kimmell
Cantiga Brasileira - Gilbert Gagliardi
Program
Rave and Rapture for Trumpet and Bongos - Evan Hause
Rave and Rapture is in Rondo form. The rondo theme is jazzy and showy for the trumpet, underpinned rhythmically by a bongo part that draws upon the recent influence on me by the genre of music known as electronica. The ensuing episodes are different from each other in character, sometimes exploring disparate musical styles, sometimes simply re-working motives from the theme within new tempi and characterizations. As harmony is difficult to project, I turned to changes of tempo and metric modulation to play the traditional role of modulation. In the latter half of the work, following a sultry, "belly-dancing" 5/4 episode, the trumpet takes on a more vocal, declamatory, nearly religious character. He is underpinned by bongo interjections, which I imagine to be in a "talking drum" style. The piece then works its way back to the opening Rondo theme before concluding.
The End of the Matter - Salvatore Macchia
Three Songs for Trumpet and Marimba - Eric Ewazen
I. God’s World
II. Wraith
III. Afternoon on a Hill
"Three Songs for Trumpet and Marimba" was originally a work for soprano and piano. Chris Gekker subsequently performed it as a trumpet piece, and I have now further arranged the work for trumpet and marimba. I am delighted that Eric Berlin and Eduardo Leandro will be premiering this version of the piece. The three songs are evocative meditations covering a variety of moods. Lyricism pervades the work. The first movement, "God's World" has chorale-like chords in the marimba supporting a trumpet line that evokes memories of chorale melodies...distinguished, but heartfelt. The music builds in rich intensity, but the chorale is always present. The 2nd movement, "Wraith" is about spirits, ghosts. The music is intense, chromatic, sometimes mysterious and sometimes dramatic. The final movement, "Afternoon on a Hill", is a memory piece--recalling to mind the feeling one has looking at their home from a distant hill--embracing the peacefulness and beauty of this vision. This is a simple song, but again, heartfelt.
Vignettes for Trumpet and Percussion - James M. Stephenson III
I composed these eight Vignettes (7 + "Encore") for Eric Berlin and Eduardo Leandro for performance at the ITG Conference held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2005. Eric and I were at the New England Conservatory together, and, in fact, it was our living quarters that inspired the main ingredient of these Vignettes. I remember very often hearing the sound of Eric practicing below me in the dormitory, and thus I decided to use the musical form of a "lower neighbor" as my driving force for most of the short pieces in this set.
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