| Dear Ed, readers, and contributers,
Thank you, Ed, for drawing our attention to the quality of the composers of whom we're speakinig (Strauss, Ravel, etc.). We, as transcription-friendly musicians, have at our disposal literally thousands of art songs by the great composers of the past and present.
How many trumpet recitals have you seen that include the following composers on the same program: Schoenberg, Webern, Berg, and Mahler? How about: Copland, Carter, Bernstein, and Gershwin? Those sets of composers were the chosen composers of two of my more successful half-recitals last year.
It makes me frustrated when trumpet recitals turn into purely athletic events ... the kind where if the trumpeter is still standing at the end, it's a success in the eyes of fellow trumpeters! Why did we decide to pursue MUSIC in the first place? It was because we love MUSIC, right?
Does anyone have ideas for other themed half or full recitals?
Have any of you checked out Ray Mase's "Trumpet Vocalise" CD (amazing playing from Mr. Mase)? What do you think of his comments in the liner notes that a vocalise is a better way to go than a song with text because you lose too much by taking away the text? What if you provide the text as I have suggested earlier with a reader before each song? Ed touched on this in an earlier reply.
Thanks,
Mike Blutman |