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Alison Balsom-Seraph

Seraph [CD]
~ Alison Balsom

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Product Reviews

British trumpet player Alison Balsom has established herself as one of the leading performers on her instrument in the early 21st century. This 2012 album features three modern and contemporary concertos for trumpet. Balsom is phenomenally secure in her technique and in the musicality she brings to each of the pieces. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lawrence Renes, and the Scottish Ensemble, led by Jonathan Morton, provide colorful and energetic accompaniment. Bernd Alois Zimmermann's 1954 Trumpet Concerto is the standout work on the album. It is certainly one of the most distinguished, substantial, and immediately appealing trumpet concertos of the 20th century. It is subtitled "Nobody knows de troubles I see," and uses the melody of the spiritual as the basis for its sophisticated musical development. Like many of Zimmermann's works, its themes are political and he changed the title from "seen" to "see" to highlight the ongoing struggle for racial equality throughout the world, with pointed reference to the lingering racist attitudes of National Socialism in post-war Germany. It's an intensely dramatic and inventive piece; Zimmermann interweaves the original spiritual with jazz influences and modernist techniques in a way that's emotionally direct and thoroughly engrossing. Balsom negotiates its extreme demands with complete assurance. The Trumpet Concerto in A flat by Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian, written in 1950, bears the stamp of the Soviet demand that music be immediately entertaining for the proletariat. The concerto is tuneful and uses folk material and for the most part sounds like it could be the soundtrack for an "exotic" adventure film. What it lacks in musical sophistication it makes up for in the opportunities it gives the soloist to really shine melodically. James MacMillan's 2010 concerto Seraph, which Balsom premiered, is an inoffensive but not especially profound work, characterized by pleasant, lyrical note-spinning. EMI's sound is pristine, balanced, and nicely ambient. ~ Stephen Eddins, Rovi

Product Notes

Following the international success of her critically-acclaimed Italian Concertos - about which BBC Music Magazine raved: "listening to it is nothing less than a life-enhancing experience"- trumpet superstar Alison Balsom releases an exciting and important new album of modern trumpet concertos. Entitled Seraph, the album leads with the world-premiere recording of James MacMillan's similarly-named trumpet concerto, a work written especially for Balsom and featuring the exploratory yet accessible compositional style MacMillan has become known for. The album also includes two other concertos: the Trumpet Concerto in A flat major by Alexander Arutiunian - a staple in the repertory thanks to its simple and attractive musical language which incorporates features of Armenian folk music - and Bernd Alois Zimmermann's haunting,impossibly virtuosic Trumpet Concerto in C Major. The disc also features "Paths" by Toru Takemitsu - a solo trumpet piece that combines elements of Eastern and Western musical philosophies, and rounding out the program is a sparse, gripping arrangement of the American spiritual "Nobody Knows," arranged by Tom Foster and Alison herself.

Classical Data

55:59
Concerto
Baroque
Alison Balsom
England
Alison Balsom must be counted among the most popular Classical trumpeters before the public today. Yet, she has gained wide international recognition only since the turn of the century. Her first recording, Music for Trumpet and Organ, was issued in 2002, and her first major award was given to her in 2006, when the jurors of the Classical BRIT Awards named her Young British Classical Performer. Other awards and citations followed and her concert appearances quickly became major events across England, Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Of course, her supermodel looks and charismatic manner haven't hurt her career, but in the end it has been her talent on the trumpet, forged by an all-encompassing technique and deft interpretive sense, that landed her at the top. Balsom's repertory is broad, taking in a mixture of original works and arrangements of music by J.S. Bach, Purcell, Haydn, Mozart, Hummel, Debussy, Rachmaninov, de Falla, Messiaen, and many others. She has recorded for EMI and Hyperion. Alison Balsom was born in the English county of Hertfordshire in 1978. She grew up in Royston, where she began study of the trumpet in her early childhood. At nine she began lessons with Adrian Jacobs at Greneway School in Royston, and four years later enrolled in the Junior department at the Guildhall School of Music, where her most important teacher was John Miller. From ages 15-18 she played in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and from 1997-2001 she studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where her teachers included Stephen Keavy and Paul Benniston. Later studies were at the Paris Conservatory of Music and Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Balsom also studied privately with H kan Hardenberger, from 2001-2004. During her student years Balsom played in several orchestral ensembles and became a concerto finalist in the 1998 BBC Young Musicians Competition. Following the release of her first album on EMI, she began drawing attention not only across England, but internationally, as well. Balsom next signed an exclusive contract with EMI, and her second recording, Bach Works for Trumpet, was issued in 2005 to rave reviews. In 2006 she was awarded Solo CD of the Year by Brass Band World Magazine for her album Caprice. Balsom's 2009 concert schedule reflects her in-demand status with tours at major venues in England, Germany, Russia, Turkey, the U.S., and elsewhere across the globe. ~ Robert Cummings, Rovi
British trumpet player Alison Balsom has established herself as one of the leading performers on her instrument in the early 21st century. This 2012 album features three modern and contemporary concertos for trumpet. Balsom is phenomenally secure in her technique and in the musicality she brings to each of the pieces. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lawrence Renes, and the Scottish Ensemble, led by Jonathan Morton, provide colorful and energetic accompaniment. Bernd Alois Zimmermann's 1954 Trumpet Concerto is the standout work on the album. It is certainly one of the most distinguished, substantial, and immediately appealing trumpet concertos of the 20th century. It is subtitled "Nobody knows de troubles I see," and uses the melody of the spiritual as the basis for its sophisticated musical development. Like many of Zimmermann's works, its themes are political and he changed the title from "seen" to "see" to highlight the ongoing struggle for racial equality throughout the world, with pointed reference to the lingering racist attitudes of National Socialism in post-war Germany. It's an intensely dramatic and inventive piece; Zimmermann interweaves the original spiritual with jazz influences and modernist techniques in a way that's emotionally direct and thoroughly engrossing. Balsom negotiates its extreme demands with complete assurance. The Trumpet Concerto in A flat by Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian, written in 1950, bears the stamp of the Soviet demand that music be immediately entertaining for the proletariat. The concerto is tuneful and uses folk material and for the most part sounds like it could be the soundtrack for an "exotic" adventure film. What it lacks in musical sophistication it makes up for in the opportunities it gives the soloist to really shine melodically. James MacMillan's 2010 concerto Seraph, which Balsom premiered, is an inoffensive but not especially profound work, characterized by pleasant, lyrical note-spinning. EMI's sound is pristine, balanced, and nicely ambient. ~ Stephen Eddins, Rovi

Details

Alison Balsom
Seraph
Classical & Opera
Classical Artists
7 February 2012
~ Discs:1 ~ Country:Usa
USA
Emm/Emi Classics ( EMIC )
Compact Disc
785902
5099967859023

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