Hakan Hardenberger: The Art of the Trumpet (5 CD box set, APE)

Performer: Hakan Hardenberger
Composer: Tomaso Albinoni, Johann Sebastian Bach, Pietro Baldassari, Luciano Berio, Leonard Bernstein, et al.
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 5 CD box set
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Decca
Size: 1.04 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Disc 1:
01. Concerto for 2 Trumpets, Strings and Continuo in C, R.537 – 1. Allegro
02. Concerto for 2 Trumpets, Strings and Continuo in C, R.537 – 2. Largo
03. Concerto for 2 Trumpets, Strings and Continuo in C, R.537 – 3. (Allegro)
04. Sonata in D for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 1. Grave
05. Sonata in D for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 2. Allegro
06. Sonata in D for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 3. Grave
07. Sonata in D for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 4. Allegro
08. Sonata in D for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 5. Allegro
09. Concerto a 5 in B flat, Op.7, No.3 for Oboe, Strings and Continuo – Trumpet performance – 1. Allegro
10. Concerto a 5 in B flat, Op.7, No.3 for Oboe, Strings and Continuo – Trumpet performance – 2. Adagio
11. Concerto a 5 in B flat, Op.7, No.3 for Oboe, Strings and Continuo – Trumpet performance – 3. Allegro
12. Sonata in D for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 1. Grave – Allegro
13. Sonata in D for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 2. Grave
14. Sonata in D for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 3. (Allegro)
15. Sonata in D for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 4. Grave – Allegro
16. Oboe Concerto in D minor: Arr. Trumpet – 1. Andante e spiccato
17. Oboe Concerto in D minor: Arr. Trumpet – 2. Adagio
18. Oboe Concerto in D minor: Arr. Trumpet – 3. Presto
19. Sonata prima for Trumpet and Continuo – 1. (Andante)
20. Sonata prima for Trumpet and Continuo – 2. (Allegro) – (Presto)
21. Sonata prima for Trumpet and Continuo – 3. (Allegro)
22. Sonata prima for Trumpet and Continuo – 4. (Adagio)
23. Sonata in D for 2 Trumpets, Strings and Continuo – 1. Grave
24. Sonata in D for 2 Trumpets, Strings and Continuo – 2. Allegro
25. Sonata in D for 2 Trumpets, Strings and Continuo – 3. Adagio
26. Sonata in D for 2 Trumpets, Strings and Continuo – 4. Allegro
27. Sonata in F for Cornetto, Strings and Continuo – Version for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 1. Allegro
28. Sonata in F for Cornetto, Strings and Continuo – Version for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 2. Grave
29. Sonata in F for Cornetto, Strings and Continuo – Version for Trumpet, Strings and Continuo – 3. Allegro

Disc 2:
01. Toccata
02. Trumpet Tune
03. Suite in D – 1. Prelude (The Duke of Gloster’s March)
04. Suite in D – 2. Minuet
05. Suite in D – 3. Sybelle
06. Suite in D – 4. Rondeau (The Prince of Denmark’s March)
07. Suite in D – 5. Serenade (Andante)
08. Suite in D – 6. Bourrée
09. Suite in D – 7. Ecossaise
10. Suite in D – 8. Hornpipe – Gigue
11. Adagio for Strings and Organ in G minor
12. Erbarm’ dich mein, o Herre Gott, BWV 721
13. Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 639
14. Herzlich tut mich verlangen, BWV 727
15. Sonata in D, Op.3/9 – 1. Largo
16. Sonata in D, Op.3/9 – 2. Allegro
17. Sonata in D, Op.3/9 – 3. Largo
18. Sonata in D, Op.3/9 – 4. Menuet – Più allegro – Menuet
19. Ave Maria: arr. from Bach’s Prelude No.1 BWV 846
20. 12 Heroic Marches – La majesté
21. 12 Heroic Marches – La grâce
22. 12 Heroic Marches – La vaillance
23. 12 Heroic Marches – La tranquilité
24. 12 Heroic Marches – L’armement
25. 12 Heroic Marches – L’amour
26. 12 Heroic Marches – La vigilance
27. 12 Heroic Marches – La gaillardise
28. 12 Heroic Marches – La douceur
29. 12 Heroic Marches – La générosité
30. 12 Heroic Marches – L’espérance
31. 12 Heroic Marches – La réjouissance

Disc 3:
01. Trumpet Concerto in E flat major – 1. Allegro con spirito
02. Trumpet Concerto in E flat major – 2. Andante
03. Trumpet Concerto in E flat major – 3. Rondo
04. Trumpet Concerto in D – 1. Allegro ma non troppo
05. Trumpet Concerto in D – 2. Largo
06. Trumpet Concerto in D – 3. Vivace
07. Trumpet Concerto in D – Reconstructed by Alan Boustead – 1. Allegro non troppo presto
08. Trumpet Concerto in D – Reconstructed by Alan Boustead – 2. Adagio
09. Trumpet Concerto in D – Reconstructed by Alan Boustead – 3. Allegro molto
10. Trumpet Concerto in E flat, H.VIIe No.1 – 1. Allegro
11. Trumpet Concerto in E flat, H.VIIe No.1 – 2. Andante
12. Trumpet Concerto in E flat, H.VIIe No.1 – 3. Allegro

Disc 4:
01. Slavonic Fantasy
02. Hora Staccato
03. At the Beach
04. Lieder ohne Worte, Op.67 – Arr. for Cornet and Piano by Hardenberger/Pöntinen – “The Bee’s Wedding” (Spinning Song, Op.67 No. 4)
05. Pluie d’étoiles
06. Rondo for Lifey
07. Album Leaf in D flat
08. Impromptu
09. My Love is like a Red Red Rose
10. Romanze
11. 4 Variations on a Theme of D. Scarlatti
12. The Girl from Brasil

Disc 5:
01. Sonatina (for Solo Trumpet) – 1. Toccata
02. Sonatina (for Solo Trumpet) – 2. Canzona
03. Sonatina (for Solo Trumpet) – 3. Segnali
04. Paths (In Memoriam Witold Lutoslawski)
05. Sequenza X per tromba in do (e risonanze di pianoforte)
06. Old/New (Study for Solo Trumpet)
07. Emotion
08. La Mort de l’aigle (for Solo Trumpet in C)
09. Die große Schildkröten-Fanfare vom Südchinesischen Meer

that’s a LOT of trumpet!

Swedish trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger gives a truly uplifting performance of Jeremiah Clarke’s trumpet tune, with organist Simon Preston . That piece is a favorite of trumpet players everywhere, and so too will be this collection of five CDs called The Art of the Trumpet. That’s a LOT of trumpet playing, and it’s all done by Hardenberger–this is in fact a collection of some of his previously recorded works, so if you are a long time Hardenberger aficionado, actually there will be nothing new here. In addition to the CD of baroque music for trumpet and organ, one of the highlights are the favorite classical concertos of Haydn and Hummel.
Also on that particular CD are concertos by Stamitz, and Hertel, the whole conducted by Neville Marriner and accompanied by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

Born in 1961, and originally schooled at the Paris Conservatory, Haredenberger is a fantastic performer–The Times once called him “The greatest trumpet player on Earth”, and his own website confirms that he is the greatest trumpet soloist today, so it must be true. Certainly his sound is bright and lovely, intonation true, vibrato beautifully controlled. He performs an impressively wide repertorie, from the baroque to the present–the 5 CDs in this collection include one of the Classical concerti I’ve mentioned; two of baroque music; one of unaccompanied modern pieces, and one of works from various periods for trumpet or cornet and piano. It’s all delightful, and technically perfect. But I have to admit to feeling let down by someone who bills themself as the greatest trumpet soloist today, if that’s all I’m going to get. Maybe it’s my jazz background, but there’s SO much more the trumpet can do other than this somewhat dry perfection, all with a very controlled and rather limited dynamic range. Maynard Ferguson could make the hair stand up on your arms when he played, and granted that style isn’t appropriate for most of these piece, even the contemporary pieces maintain this cool attitude. Honestly, I think very few listeners are going to be fascinated by that particular CD in this set–I’m a composer and it doesn’t hold my attention. Maybe I’m just getting old and nasty, but I guess I prefer my Hardenbergers with cheese! Or if I’m going to use bad wordplay, perhaps what I want is less reserved–more The Tart of Trumpet. And definitely in smaller doses than a 5 CD set. Trumpet players will definitely want to go out and get this immediately, but the rest of us might just want to get the individual recordings one at a time, perhaps starting with my favorite of the recordings, Vivaldi’s Concerto in C major for two trumpets.