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Ever since his very first disc, released by BIS some thirty
years ago, Hakan Hardenberger has earned recognition
for his performances of the classical repertory, but also as
a pioneer of significant and virtuosic new music for the
trumpet. Collaborations with composers such as
Takemitsu, Part, Henze and H K Gruber have resulted in
numerous works, of which the two recorded here are
among the more recent.
Brett Dean's concerto Dramatis personae is named after
the term used for the list of characters in a stage work,
and casts the soloist in the role of the 'Hero'. Dean's
protagonist is a complex one, however, with traits
inspired by comic-book super heroes as well as the
classical flawed heroes of literature and legend:
'Soliloquy', the second movement, is a reference to
Hamlet, while Charlie Chaplin's character in Modern
Times has inspired the work's finale, 'The Accidental
Revolutionary'.
If there is a hero in the concerto by Luca Francesconi, it is
Miles Davis. In his comments to the work, Francesconi
talks of Davis as 'a musician who transcends all labels'
with 'a delicate, cracked sound' and a voice which speaks
directly to the listener. Hard Pace, the title of
Francesconi's work, is an allusion to a difficult journey,
but it is also a conflation of the names of the performers
for whom it was written: Hardenberger, Antonio Pappano
and the Santa Cecilia Orchestra. On the present recording
it is the Gothenburg Symphony and conductor John
Storgards who provide Hakan Hardenberger with expert
support in these demanding, and rewarding, scores.
Brett Dean
Dramatis personae for trumpet and orchestra 31'28
1 I. Fall of a Superhero 13'15
2 II. Soliloquy 8'33
3 III. The Accidental Revolutionary 9'40
Luca Francesconi
Hard Pace, Concerto for trumpet and orchestra 26'58
4 I. 12'23
5 II. Adagio 7'41
6 Miles3 '35
7 Finale 3'19
Album total 58'30 |
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