Edito de Cornet FantasieThe trumpet repertoire has been much maligned over the years. When considering a piece to play, the usual suspects always come to the fore: Haydn, Hummel, and Arutunian, among others. Even when the repertoire of the trumpet's cousin, the cornet, is considered, thoughts turn to the showy sets of variations by Arban and Clarke. Unfortunately, there are gems by lesser-known composers that have been pushed to the side over the years but are wonderful solo pieces, nonetheless. Vasily Brandt (1869-1923) was a German-born trumpet and cornet soloist who spent most of his career in Russia. In addition to his talented trumpet playing, he was also a fine composer of many solo pieces and etudes for the trumpet. Here, his two Concertpieces (Op. 11 and Op. 12) demonstrate a wide variety of technical brilliance as well as beautiful melodies. Published for cornet or trumpet, here I have chosen to play them on trumpet to recreate more of the powerful sound of the Russian style. Thorvald Hansen (1847-1915), cornet soloist and solo trumpeter of the Royal Danish Orchestra, composed his Sonata Op. 18 shortly before his death in 1915. Although not as technically challenging as Brandt's compositions, it is a wonderful example of writing for the cornet in the late-romantic style, and remains a required audition piece for the Royal Danish Orchestra. Carl Höhne's (1870-1930) Slavische Fantasie, composed for the Viennese cornet soloist Fritz Werner, has become a staple of the cornet repertoire since trumpet maker Vincent Bach brought it to the United States in the early part of the twentieth century. Unfortunately, because of extensive damage to German records during World War II, little is known of Höhne's life andmost of his publications have been lost. Joseph Guy Ropartz (1864-1955) was a French composer and conductor. After graduating with a law degree from the Jesuit college in Vannes, he moved to Paris in 1885 to enroll in the conservatory where he studied with Dubois, Massenet, and Franck. During his career, he published five symphonies, many works for the stage, and numerous pieces of chamber music. Another Frenchman, Philippe Gaubert (1879-1941), was a flautist, conductor, and composer. Although most of his solo compositions are for flute, the Cantabile et Scherzetto is one of the most elegant works for cornet from the turn of the century. Although not very demanding with respect to the high register, its difficulty lies in bringing out the subtle nuances of the expressive writing. Georges Enesco (1881-1955) was a well-known violinist, composer, conductor, and teacher. In Legend, written in 1906, Enesco treats the trumpet as a lyric instrument in the opening section, but in the central section - full of brilliant runs - the music grows more virtuosic. Guillaume Balay (1871-1949) served in the French military as a cornet player, and many of his compositions became standard repertoire for the Republican Guard. A number of his works for cornet remain in the trumpet repertoire. The remaining composers of cornet solos on this recording are fairly unknown. However, their contributions to the literature have been much more lasting than their personal reputations, and their works deserve to be recognized as important contributions to the cornet repertoire. Lire la suite