This week Classical reviewer Geoff Adams listens to a mixture of trumpet works by Haydn and hummel, played by Alison Balsom, and a rarely heard trio of works by Copland.
Balsom, a blonde 29-year-old Englishwoman, is pictured in the booklet wearing a low-cut gown, holding her trumpet.
The sound her instrument makes on the hot-pink disc is indeed enchanting, ably assisted by Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Not that she gives it a feminine tone, as some critics suggest, but The Times (London) properly observed: "she makes the trumpet sing with an irresistible exuberance and eloquence".
The first two of four 18th-century works are finest: Hummel's and Haydn's concertos, both in E flat.
Then follows Torelli's Concerto in D (written for "natural trumpet" with no valves) and another in E flat by Czech composer Neruda (an oddity written for a hunting horn that no longer exists).
Highlight: relaxed opulence of Haydn's Andante, followed by sprightly finale.
Marin Alsop with the Bournemouth orchestra brings to life a trio of works rarely heard in concert or on disc.
Copland is better known for his later folksy works like Rodeo, Appalachian Spring, etc, but these three symphonies show the younger composer as an original and energetic voice.
No 1 was originally written in 1923 for organ and orchestra and rearranged for orchestra alone in 1928.
Short Symphony is the usual title of his second symphony (1933) and the three-movement Dance Symphony (1929) derives from his "vampire" ballet Grohg (1925). Copland's Symphony No 3 is already available on Naxos.
These works have a tinge of Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Bartok, as well as the jazzy swagger of the later Copland.
Highlight: perky rhythms in Dance Symphony, extreme syncopation.
