Murray State University Trumpet Ensemble
Elisa Koehler, reporter
The Murray State University Trumpet Ensemble, under the direction of Eric Swisher, performed three enjoyable pieces for their concert prelude. First up was the Sonata a 7 by Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber performed with organ and timpani. The group featured a warm sonorous blend and fine piccolo trumpet playing. Ronald Lo Presti's uplifting work, Heralding, spotlighted an outstanding solo trumpeter who opened the work playing from memory. The final selection was Fanfare by Gunther Schuller. Throughout the program, the ensemble played with vibrant precision, intonation, and conviction. A most enjoyable prelude!
California State - Long Beach
Kevin Eisensmith, reporter
The Trumpet Ensemble from California State University - Long Beach performed Triangles, Three Sides for Six Trumpets, by Nick Lane. This exciting eight-minute work was in three major sections. The opening featured two main overlapping ideas: a rather fanfare-like motive that was joined with rapid flourishes. The lyrical second section featured the use of Harmon mutes before returning to the opening idea. The final section was characterized by an ostinato of rapid tonguing under a constantly developing theme. The work became highly dissonant before returning to the theme of the third section. The CSULB Trumpet Ensemble, under the direction of Robert Frear, gave a memorable performance.
Towson State University Trumpet Ensemble
Elisa Koehler, reporter
The Towson State University Trumpet Ensemble, under the direction of Luis Engelke, performed an exciting program for their prelude. There were a few changes to the printed program announced from the stage: the Fantasia Brasiliera by José Ursicino da Silva “Duda” (edited by Engelke) consisted of four movements (none were listed) and the listed soloist, David Ballou, was featured in David Wilborn's Fantasy for Trumpet (which was not listed). Towson's performance of the da Silva work crackled with Latin rhythms, attractive lyricism, and impressive precision. Wilborn's Fantasy showcased Ballou's heroic solo trumpet soaring over the ensemble's well-played rhythmic accompaniment.
East Tennessee State University Trumpet Ensemble
Elisa Koehler, reporter
The East Tennessee State University Trumpet Ensemble, under the direction of David Champouillon, performed an arrangement of Leo Arnaud's “Bugler's Dream” from Charge by Parnther. It was refreshing to hear the entire work with its contrasting lyrical episodes in addition to opening fanfare, which is well known from American telecasts of the Olympic Games (it was originally the theme of ABC Sports' Thrill of Victory, as Champoullian pointed out from the stage). The addition of euphoniums and flugelhorns provided added depth to the ensemble.
Northern State University
Chuck Tumlinson, reporter
It was appropriate that the “Dominant 7” from Northern State University were selected as the prelude to the Arturo Sandoval concert. Grant Manhart directed, arranged for, and soloed with the ensemble, which displayed flash (included horn flashes), brilliance, and balanced ensemble in various jazz, popular, and post-Romantic styles with several improvised solos by students and Manhart. A brief excerpt from Cappricio Espagnole segued to Luca Frederickson's boogaloo styled Blues for Ben. The prelude concluded with Juan Tizol and Duke Ellington's Perdido, and Al Jolson's Avalon.
University of Tennessee Knoxville Trumpet Ensemble
Neville Young, reporter
The University of Tennessee Knoxville Trumpet Ensemble's prelude began with a premiere, William Mark Harrell's Introit on Engelberg. This impressive piece starts with broad melodies from which rhythmic movement emerges and develops, underpinning its nicely long and flowing lines. Under director Cathy Leach the ensemble then played a wonderful arrangement by Steven Burkle of two Bulgarian songs: the first offered beautiful slow chromatic passages growing out of and returning to unisons in a soft, warm glow of sound. We then moved into a quicker motive for the second song, with tricky time signatures and a lively atmosphere. The final piece in this prelude was another premiere, Lucas Richman's Declamation, in which we heard lyrical and canonic passages married with broad, climactic moments, then leading to an exciting, fanfare-like ending. Leach and her ensemble are to be congratulated on this fine prelude, in both their warm, precise playing and their excellent and interesting choice of material.
Escola Superior de Musica e das Artes do Espectaculo do Instituto Politecnico do Porto
John Irish, reporter
The trumpet ensemble from Porto, Portugal, under the direction of Kevin Gerard Wauldron (one of two ensembles from Portugal playing preludes at this conference!) are from the Escola Superior de Musica e das Artes do Espectaculo do Instituto Politecnico do Porto. This excellent ensemble performed a familiar and exciting program of trumpet ensembles. Bold unison statements, beautiful sounds, excellent ensemble, well-matched articulation, along with a beautiful array of colors and dynamics showed off a very fine performance that was well received. The playing of Eric Ewazens's Prelude and Fugue brought an enthusiastic “thumbs-up” from the composer, who was in attendance. They also performed Joseph Turrin's Festival Fanfare and Nigel Coombes Trumpet Salutations with spirit and attention to detail. Their final work was a well-played arrangement of Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben that thrilled the audience. It was especially heartwarming to hear the cheers this ensemble received from their countrymen all through their prelude. ITG certainly wants to hear more from this wonderful ensemble.
Middle Tennessee State University Trumpet Ensemble
Neville Young
This fine trumpet ensemble, under the direction of Michael Arndt (coordinator of all of the prelude sessions for the 2006 conference), kicked tonight's concert off with a great display of virtuoso playing. We started with Bruce Boughton's Concertpiece whose fluid, melodic fanfare beginning led on to areas of new, interesting rhythmic complexity. Some very poised unison passages revealed the ensemble's lovely tone quality and accurate intonation before more melodic fragments grew and developed from a rhythmic background, ending after their arrival at a series of bold declamatory statements. The ensemble's second piece was a world premiere by Jamey Simmons, who was also the featured soloist. This work, in three movements, takes us in a jazz-flavored idiom first into a swing-fanfarish world of chromatic moments and rhythmic complexity. We heard some long flowing lines with spiky interjections, and the whole movement was delivered with real drive and verve. The second movement is beautiful, a lyrical and at times ballad-like piece with some great Harmon-muted solos. As the movement opens out it builds into a big climax with some very satisfying lead trumpet work before calming down to a more reflective ending. The final movement takes us back to a very fast swing with much excitement and color. Simmons has some great ideas on how to write good accompaniments for jazz solos when you have no rhythm section, something which can sometimes be a weak point in ensemble work. Simmons received a very warm reception from the Pfleeger Conceert Hall audience.
North Dakota State University Trumpet Ensemble
Gary Mortenson, reporter
Under the direction of Neil Mueller, the North Dakota State University Trumpet Ensemble presented three compositions as their prelude to the Synergy Brass Quintet. Repertoire included Revecy Venir du Printans by Claude Le Jeune (edited by Jay Lichtmann), Andean by Ignacio Calbo (arranged by Jay Lichtmann), and Intrada and Allegro by Arthur Frackenpohl. The ensemble performed with confidence and poise, and handled the varied nature of their chosen selections with ease. The Le Jeune was particularly enjoyable as they hit just the right bounce and lightness required of this Renaissance dance. Each member of the group got a chance to present extended solos in the Calbo as their colleagues presented ostinato rhythms in support…an interesting piece that was well played. The ensemble grew from five to eight for the Frackenpohl. Their performance on this two-part composition was poised and precise with good balance and rhythm throughout. Bravo!
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Amun-Raf from Shadows of the Pyramids, a world premiere composition by David Marlatt, evoked the sounds of the trumpets of Egypt's Pharaohs. This large ensemble played with rhythmic intensity and with an inspired array of textures and colors. Another premiere followed, Kaleidoscope, by Dennis Horton. This work employed various combinations of trumpets and mutes to achieve colorful effects. At times the music called for driving energy while at others a reflective atmosphere was achieved. The IUP trumpets all played with assurance and with a fine musical vision. These two new works deserve to be performed regularly.
Maalouf/Mortenson “Fanny Trip”
Neville Young, reporter
This Maalouf/Mortenson collaborative prelude served as an excellent opener for Maalouf's Boyd Recital Hall concert. Backed by a great brass-and-bassoon ensemble directed by Mortenson, Maalouf and his interesting four-valve, quarter-tone trumpet led us on a brisk journey through musical idioms, never failing to surprise and delight. We started with the low brass laying down a rich, Nymanesque rhythm with a rock feel, over which Maalouf's sinuous melodies, with a distinct Arabic feel, made a great contrast. Later we heard a slow blues with a relaxed, harmon-muted solo and a very nice, chorale-like four-trumpet section. Towards the end came an urgent scherzo, with lots of double-tonguing in the trumpets: this material was worked out extensively, leading us - via some exciting and distinctly fanfarish moments - to a huge cadenza for Maalouf. A rather good swing bit intervened in a bouncing, dance-like section before we were maneuvered skillfully, revisiting Maalouf's opening theme, towards a big, spectacular ending. A great, unusual, and very interesting prelude.
Ensemble de Trumpets de Lisboa
Elisa Koehler, reporter
The Ensemble de Trumpets de Lisboa, under the direction of David Burt, are the trumpet ensemble from the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra in Lisbon, Portugal. They began their program in stunning style with a dynamic performance of Jorge Salguerio's Fanfarra Festiva, Op. 98 (in its U.S. premiere). Next came Jorge Campos's innovative work, 8tes (another U. S. premiere), which featured ensemble members rotating in place to create directional soundscapes that were extremely effective in the large auditorium. Punctuated with passages of exceptional brilliance, the innovative work ended with the player's backs to the audience. The program closed with a fine performance of the “Scherzando” from Fisher Tull's Segments for Eight Trumpets, which highlighted a colorful tapestry of mutes and dazzling precision.
Philadelphia University of the Arts
Gary Mortenson, reporter
Under the direction of Dennis Wasko, the Philadelphia University of the Arts presented two standard works for their prelude prior to the final concert of the 200 ITG Conference. The “Fanfare” from La Peri by Paul Dukas was played with fine attention to precise articulation, intonation, and balance. The second work, Concert Fanfare by Eric Ewazen ended this most enjoyable prelude with a flourish. Ewazen must have felt gratified to have heard so many of his works performed so well all week long.
