Romantic Trumpet Sonatas
Edvard GRIEG (1843-1907) Holberg Suite, Op 40 (1884) (arr. Daniel-Ben
Pienaar) [17:14]
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Sonata No 1 in A minor, Op 105 (1851)*
[15:52]
Felix MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY (1809-1847) Sonata No 2 in D, Op
58 (1843)* [22:34]
Karl PILSS (1902-1979) Sonata (1935) [14:16]
*Arranged by the performers
Jonathan Freeman-Attwood (trumpet); Daniel-Ben Pienaar (piano)
rec. 29-31 March 2010, St George’s, Brandon Hill, Bristol, England
LINN RECORDS HYBRID SACD CKD370 [69:56] 
This disc is called Romantic Trumpet Sonatas. I hear you asking: “There
are romantic trumpet sonatas?” The answer is, “Now there are!” Trumpeter Jonathan
Freeman-Attwood and pianist Daniel-Ben Pienaar have transcribed Schumann’s
first violin sonata and Mendelssohn’s second cello sonata for the trumpet,
and Pienaar has added his own version of Grieg’s Holberg Suite. To this they
have appended one of the tiny handful of ‘real’ Romantic Trumpet Sonatas,
a very late (1935) work by Karl Pilss.
I was a bit skeptical about this, but it has turned out to be a lot of fun,
for the trumpet arrangements are not as glitzy or unsubtle as one might fear.
Freeman-Attwood and Pienaar are sensitive musicians and transcribers, and
the disc brushes aside memories of the ‘originals’ in favor of appreciation
for their new guises.
Examples abound in Grieg’s Holberg Suite: the very beginning is a series
of flashy, carnival-like repeated notes for the trumpet, but the instrument
changes tone almost immediately, so that the music remains a collaboration
of equal partners. If anything, Freeman-Attwood’s biggest moments come in
the witty gavotte. Throughout, I was impressed by how naturally the transcription
worked, and how the music had a natural give-and-take between the performers.
The trumpet takes a few moments off in the air and the rigaudon’s central
slow section, but that’s good for our ears and the music’s character, too.
The Schumann is better yet. The first movement’s drama is very well-captured
by these two artists, and the finale’s high spirits are very high indeed.
I think it’s best to separate the original composition from the transcription,
and judge the new work’s merits independently, because it deserves that kind
of consideration. This is a very fine piece indeed, with a superb emotional
arc and trumpet writing which combines tongue-twisting difficulties with endearing
melody.
Mendelssohn’s sonata has a bit more glitter and brightness about it; the first
movement is - I imagine - a hale welcome to a sunny day. The trumpet has some
subdued moments in the development, but for the most part it’s a chance to
ring out high, bright, and clear. The adagio is especially finely done, with
outstanding emotional tenderness, before we get, in the finale, another dash
forward with pianist and trumpeter competing to outdo each other in bravado.
Given the bright, splashy sound the players make in the work, it is very easy
indeed to forget that the original work was written for cello and piano.
Karl Pilss’ 1935 sonata somehow feels more Germanic than Mendelssohn or Schumann,
maybe because its opening has a dark, searching quality, or because its development
works out the theme - the first movement has only one theme, really; the second
subject is only a bit player - following Brahms’ template. The finale has
echoes of something I’ve heard before, though I’m not quite sure where; the
short sonata (14 minutes) makes a lovely finish to the album as a whole. Aficionados
could rightly accuse it of being empty calories, but they’re enjoyable calories,
and who could deny that ending, with the piano rushing up to meet a proud
trumpet fanfare?
Throughout, Freeman-Attwood has a simply golden tone and full command of his
instrument; he makes this sound easy, except the really hard bits, which he
at least makes sound non-fiendish, like they were written that way for expressive
reasons rather than to trip lesser artists up. In the slow movements his brightness
is handed in for lyrical warmth, just as polished, and Daniel-Ben Pienaar
is a polished, sensitive accompanist everywhere who relishes the occasional
spotlight moment. Engineering strikes the perfect balance: neither too close
to hear performing sounds nor far enough for reverb. This really outstripped
my expectations, and now I’ve gotten to thinking about some of this duo’s
earlier discs. Linn have struck gold again.
Brian Reinhart
Linn have struck gold: romantic trumpet sonatas! Go on, do a double-take.