Alison Balsom - Bach Works for Trumpet - 2005 -mp3 V0

Review (David Vickers, Gramophone)

"Beguiling arrangements for a virtuoso, and Bach wouldn't have minded a bit"

In his booklet-note, Jonathan Freeman-Atwood observes: 'That none of the pieces here was originally conceived for the trumpet would not have bothered Bach unduly; he was the master adapter who always promoted musical imagination and flair above debilitating dogma and restrictive thinking.' Indeed, this recital is very much a musical experience to be taken on its own terms. If the notion of the voice part in the Agnus Dei performed on a trumpet gets your blood boiling before you even hear a note, then this is clearly not a disc for you. However, if you are nuts about Bach in whatever form you can get it, or are mad about trumpets of all shapes and sizes, this is splendid stuff.

Alison Balsom already has noteworthy experience of the Baroque trumpeter's art (including a recital disc of Italian trumpet music with Crispian Steele-Perkins and the Parley of Instruments) but for this recital she uses modern trumpets (in several pieces she plays piccolo trumpet). Rearrangements of music Bach based on Vivaldi and Alessandro Marcello are performed with colourful bravado with organ accompaniment from Colm Carey. Two transposed movements from BWV1008 and a mischievous solo take on the Badinerie (from BWV1067) showcase Balsom's phenomenal technique and gleaming expressiveness. Period-instrument practitioners Alina Ibragimova, Mark Caudle and Alastair Ross provide superb accompaniment in a charismatic version of the Trio Sonata. A surprisingly diverse range of textures and moods makes this disc a beguiling experience.

Tracking

01. Concerto in D (after Vivaldi), BWV 972, I. Allegro (2:05)
02. Concerto in D (after Vivaldi), BWV 972, II. Adagio (3:50)
03. Concerto in D (after Vivaldi), BWV 972, III. Allegro assai (2:10)
04. Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008, IV. Sarabande (2:41)
05. Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008, VI. Gigue (2:38)
06. Aria variata in A minor (Italian Variations), BWV 989 (9:24)
07. Gigue from Violin Partita No. 3, BWV 1006 (2:06)
08. Trio Sonata in C, BWV 529, I. Allegro (4:55)
09. Trio Sonata in C, BWV 529, II. Largo (5:16)
10. Trio Sonata in C, BWV 529, III. Allegro (3:31)
11. Concerto in C minor (after Marcello), BWV 974, I. Allegro (3:13)
12. Concerto in C minor (after Marcello), BWV 974, II. Largo (3:41)
13. Concerto in C minor (after Marcello), BWV 974, III. Presto (3:12)
14. Bist du bei mir, from the Anna Magdalena Notebook, BWV 508 (2:42)
15. Concerto in C, BWV 1055, I. Allegro (4:08)
16. Concerto in C, BWV 1055, II. Larghetto (5:02)
17. Concerto in C, BWV 1055, III. Allegro ma non tanto (4:24)
18. Badinerie from Orchestral Suite No. 2, BWV 1067 (1:31)
19. Agnus Dei from Mass in B minor, BWV 232 (5:02)

Production notes

Alison Balsom, trumpets
Colm Carey, organ
Alina Ibragimova, violin
Alastair Ross, harpsichord, chamber organ
Mark Caudle, viola da gamba

Tracks 1-3 arranged by Alison Balson and Colm Carey
8-10 arranged by Alison Balsom
4-5, 7, 14, 18 & 19 transcribed by Alison Balsom
6 arranged by Tim Jackson
11-13 and 15-17 arranged by Colm Carey

Recorded Apr 2005, Chapel of St. Augustine, Tonbridge School, Tonbridge, Kent
Organ: Marcussen & Son 1995
Producer: J