Altissima: Works for Baroque Trumpet

Introduction

On Chandos’s Early Music label, in January of 2023 they released an album featuring baroque trumpet. The soloist and band are both North American, with the Ensemble Sprezzatura, directed by Daniel Abraham, being centered in Washington, D.C.

The pieces selected to highlight Josh Cohen’s talents come from names familiar and a few less so:

• G. Reiche,
• C. Graupner,
• R. Weichlein,
• G. Finger,
• J.S. Endler,
• P. J. Rittler,
• G. P. Telemann, and
• C. Bond.

The booklet notes provide commentary on each piece, in addition to some of the history of the revival of the instrument featured on the cover. I am aware of the controversy with these instruments, and give the musicians props for addressing it, somewhat, in the liner notes, with a discussion of the vent holes visible on Cohen’s instrument on the cover.

The controversy is moot to me, as I appreciate hearing the music in tune.

The Performances

Despite living relatively close to Washington, I’m not familiar with Ensemble Sprezzatura, but have obviously heard of their lead violinist, Augusta McKay Lodge, who is active in a number of ensembles, including solo gigs with Voices of Music, out in San Francisco. The ensemble on this recording isn’t small, which in addition to the 7 violins, three violas, and two cellos, includes harpsichord and organ, theorbo, oboes, and second trumpet, timpani, and as we might have guessed when brass is called for, timpani. Goes to showcase for me the expense of this recording!

The album opens with a familiar fanfare, written by “Bach’s trumpeter,” Gottfried Reiche, which will be familiar to those who tune-in to CBS Sunday Morning here in the States. It’s a perfect piece to start (or end) the album, showcasing Cohen’s sound and his just tuning.

The recording was made in a church and as such, it has what I’d consider an ideal amount of reverb, as far as we need that to support the sound of a trumpet. The band itself sounds generous, with a wide soundstage and some depth. The strings and other winds don’t get lost in the acoustics of the church; my experience auditioning this recording with headphones was me sitting in the audience, maybe mid-way back in the space. The oboes, when playing, had the highest focus.

In Finger’s “sonata” in C, I believe the scoring could be for oboes or trumpet and oboe. The dialog here between oboe and trumpet, I think, is nice. Both have been considered “outdoor” instruments, and there is an affinity in their sound.

The Endler Sinfonia in F is a five movement work from 1749; this piece utilizes horns and timpani. The horns and timpani both fade into the background of the orchestral sound. The opening Allegro demands some of the highest notes on the recording. Cohen is clear in his delivery. The Andante gives the trumpeter a time to relax. I’ll admit I don’t remember Endler, but the liner notes establish his connection to Graupner and his studies in Leipzig, studying music at the Thomasschule and leading the Collegium Musicum. Despite this being a piece featuring trumpet, he was a violinist and singer.

It’s difficult not to think about Bach’s Orchestral Suites in connection with this work by Endler. The stylistic differences are apparent, as is the formal structure, which doesn’t rely upon the “French overture” format. The sinfonia is melody-forward, but clearly is baroque in style. The charm of the piece for me is the inclusion of so many different colorful instruments in the ensemble. Sprezzatura’s bassoonist Stephanie Corwin is especially buzzy and I enjoyed that timbre a lot!

The concerto by Telemann, featuring two oboes with trumpet, TWV 43:D7 is a late work by the composer. It’s written in Telemann’s familiar four-movement structure. While the trumpet has prominence in the recording, the oboes and trumpet again are on fine form. The Siciliano leads with the oboes. Set in a complimentary minor mode, gives the trumpet again, a rest. The Vivace for me made me think of Zelenka, in the way Telemann drops on us a rather twisted theme, well, that and the pair of oboes might always make me think of his chamber pieces for oboes with bassoon holding its own in the continuo.

The Concerto by Capel Bond in D immediately made me think I’d arrived in England. Born in 1730, Bond’s concerto is believed to date to 1754, according to the liner notes, in alignment, reallly, with the other “high baroque” works on this recording. The theme carried by the trumpet in the second movement (Allegro) goes through some transpositions by the orchestra, providing some great continuity to the theme, easy for us to latch upon its melodic but also rhythmic attributes. The concerto ends with a Largetto which seems strange to end with a slower movement; but the trumpet does enter. The liner notes explain that use of an “after-dance” is typical of the early English symphonic tradition. Now we know.

The Graupner concerto in D, GWV 308, is a four-movement work, in alignment with Telemann’s model. The opening Largo e guisto is well-written, making the most of a fanfare motif before giving the trumpet an interesting melodic line.

The trumpet part in the first Allegro is maybe less interesting, pontificating a portion of the violin’s far more interesting melody. Cohen’s playing is strong and his sound rises above the orchestra with brilliance.

The melodic material in the last movement is more directly linked. While I can’t speak to timpani being used as part of this performance, I would have thought it would have been a nice addition.

Final Thoughts

As I auditioned each of the pieces on this album, including the Ciaccona by Rittler featuring two trumpets, which I liked, I kept coming to the same conclusions. The final Allegro in the Graupner, the fast movements in the Telemann, and several moments in the Endler? The ensemble needed to be pushed faster! I think the music demands it; the last movement of the Graupner just left me unimpressed at the tempo used here.

My other criticism goes with the very different sound we get among the different works here. In the opening of the Telemann piece, we’re nice and close to the musicians and I love that sound; I was less impressed with being so “far away” from the musicians in the Endler piece that precedes it. When not listening straight through, you’re likely not any worse for the change in microphone setup, but when you do, it’s a little jarring.

This album, more than anything else, gave us the opportunity to admire the playing of Josh Cohen, who is clearly a superstar on the baroque trumpet. His control, pitch, and handling of the high stuff all comes off well in this recording. It also gave us the opportunity to hear how the trumpet played a role in late baroque repertoire, and I appreciated all the new to me music I experienced. As noted, my biggest reservation would have been to kick up to true Prestos and Vivaces when called for, but those criticisms aside, Cohen is backed here by a very capable orchestra, one I hope to experience live in the near future.