Shop Now

Fanfare

This is a very attractive collection of chamber music for trumpet and other instruments; the emphasis is not, as you might expect from a trumpet-centric disc, on brilliance but rather on lyricism. The longest work here is Eric Ewazen’s Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Brahms, a lovely expansion of the opening theme of one of my own favorite piano pieces of Brahms, the E♭ Intermezzo, op. 117/1. Ewazen captures the autumnal mood of the original, and Chris Gekker’s playing is gentle and loving.

The work that gives the disc its title, Moon Marked by Carson Cooman, is scored for trumpet and clarinet; it explores the difference in timbre of the two instruments. Cooman composed the piece and gave it the title after reading accounts of astronauts returning to Earth after lunar travel and finding their perception of reality altered. He successfully depicts this perceptual shift with shifting colors and rhythms in the music.

In the years that I was President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra I came to admire (as did almost everyone) the playing of principal trumpet Adolph Herseth, and I was privileged to get to know and spend time with him. He could play a Haydn or Hummel concerto with all the brilliance the music demanded, but what I always felt marked Herseth as unique was his cantabile playing. I was pleased to hear him say that his musical models were John McCormack, Jussi Björling, and Frank Sinatra. I thought of that as I listened to this disc, because Gekker’s playing is notable for the warmth of his tone and the suppleness of his phrasing.

There are two works by Richard Alden Clark on the CD. The opening …and justice for all? articulates in musical terms the degree to which the promise of equality under the law is still unfulfilled in our society. The work is scored for trumpet, viola, and double bass. Clark’s second piece, Divertimento, is scored for trumpet, viola, and oboe, and it demonstrates a keen ear for interesting combinations of instrumental color. The finale of this three-movement work is the closest thing to a display of instrumental brilliance on the program and also reveals genuine wit.

Lance Hulme’s Elegy for a Sultry Summer Afternoon is further evidence of Gekker’s expressive lyrical playing, particularly in its lovely coda. The last two pieces, Alistair Coleman’s Acquainted with the Night and Franklin Kiermyer’s Peace on Earth, are gentle, hauntingly beautiful works that once again emphasize the trumpet’s (and the trumpeter’s) propensity for lyricism. In the Kiermyer the performance is obviously a family affair for the Gekkers, with the participation of clarinetist Suzanne, double bassist Jason, and pianist Lianna. All four demonstrate the quiet sensitivity needed to bring this music off.

Very natural recorded sound and helpful program notes by Chris Gekker round out this attractive release.