Sunday, October 9th, 2011
KHCD-2011-081-2CD (STEREO) – The Artistry of Maurice André – Trumpet Concerti by Haydn, Hummel, Vivaldi Telemann, Albinoni & Torelli – Jean-François Chamber Orchestra/Lamoureux Orchestra/Die Weiner Solisten; Music for Trumpet and Organ – Selections by Bach, Gervaise, Viviani & Torelli – Marie-Claire Alain, organ – The quintessential classical virtuoso trumpeter, he rose to international prominence in the 1960s and 1970s with a large series of recordings of Baroque works on piccolo trumpet for Erato and other labels. Not content to limit himself to the standard Baroque trumpet repertoire, he also performed many transcriptions of works for oboe, flute, and even voice and string instruments. These recordings were (and remain) very popular, and were a strong component of the rebirth of interest in Baroque music in the 1960s. Fellow trumpeters and music lovers the world over have praised André for his clear, bright, ringing tone on the piccolo trumpet. His flawless and graceful performances have inspired many brass musicians, young and old. He has over 300 audio recordings to his name, from the mid 1950s to the present. This collection is derived from an RCA set licensed by Erato, and an original Erato LP, with recordings dating from the mid-60s to 1972. A delightful set, with much to enjoy from André’s extraordinary talent.
Many of these recordings were not released on the Erato 6-CD set, which is now very hard to find. The RCA set packaging was an exercise in economy; the slipcase was made a bit larger to accomodate 2 LPs, a common practice with multi-LP sets of Erato recordings sold in the US during the 70s. Of course, with the Dynaflex pressings, it was not a tight fit! This set is a great intro to André’s artistry.
More to come – Cheers – Curt Timmons