Wednesday, May 30th - 10:00 a.m.

(photos below)

The New Works Recital featured an extremely wide variety of music over more than 150 minutes. Idea Number Twenty-Four by Terry Everson kicked off the recital by featuring the talents of Eric Berlin, Terry Everson, Richard Kelley, Dana Oakes, and Richard Watson. Much of the music was based on musical ideas from the 24th Caprice for Solo Violin by Paganini. This virtuoso piece for five trumpets made great demands on the talents of each and every player. Extremely well-composed, this technically, rhythmically, and logistically challenging piece was handled with astonishing agility and accuracy by this all-star group. Bravo!

Rene Hernandez performed the third movement from Acuillara by Annette Hestres for trumpet and organ with Douglas Major providing the accompaniment. This work alternated between very busy writing in the organ and more lyrical writing in the trumpet. At times Acuillara sounded a bit like a modern adaptation of a Bach toccata.

Three Studies for Trumpet, Trombone, and Piano (movements one and three only) by Orianna Webb featured Joseph Bowman on trumpet, Tom Otto on trombone, and Rebecca Wilt on piano. The two movements made use of angular lines, canonic writing, and repetition giving the music a minimalistic feel. Bowman's sound and response was excellent throughout.

Into the Night by Jeffrey Hoover featured the talents of Judith Saxton on trumpet and Nichlas Gleason on marimba. Prior to performing the piece Saxton gave us some background on the inspiration for the piece by reading the poem upon which the music is based. This work featured chromaticism and angular phrases combining to heighten a sense of introspection and reflection.

Phil Snedecor performed his own composition Lyric Sonata with Douglas Major accompanying on organ. Snedecor plays with a great sound and sense of security. A particularly interesting aspect of this work was the use of the third-valve slide to create quarter-tones for melodies that gave the piece a Middle Eastern feel. This was a very effective piece extremely well-played by the composer.

Robert Bradshaw's Concerto for trumpet, orchestra, and/or piano, performed by Richard Stoelzel is composed of angular lines, lots of motivic development, and is done in an accessible modern style that is rhythmically vibrant. Stoelzel's playing on this work was secure throughout. Of particular note was his sensitive lyrical playing in the second movement. No doubt many players will want to program this work on recitals now that it is out.

The ITG Composition Contest Winner for 2007 was Two Variations from Round Suite for Brass Trio by Sam Stalos. Making use of visual multi-media effects this two movement work included a visual element controlled by the composer from computer-generated images flashed on the screen to the audience's left of stage center. From the motivic chatter of the first movement "Round House" that imitated the sound of trains, to the reference to the folk tune Coming Round the Mountain that was the basis for the second, this was an interesting addition to the brass chamber music repertoire that was expertly performed by the trio consisting of Moffatt Williams on trumpet, Jean Martin-Williams on horn, and Mark Britt on trombone.

Prologues by Blaise Ferrandino, performed by Jon Burgess on trumpet and Joey Carter on marimba, was an introspective set of movements that was at times haunting, aleatoric, disjunct, and introspective.

John Prescott's Toccata and Fugues featured some great antiphonal playing by Grant Peters and Rick Bogard who started at opposite ends at the back of the hall and then with each successive entrance worked closer to the front of the stage. Charles Ore provided the organ accompaniment. This effective piece is perfect for a cathedral setting featuring strong lines, an accessible harmonic language, and rhythms that give a sense of vitality and precision to the work.

Featuring Alan Siebert on trumpet and Sandra Rivers on piano, Stargazer by Steven Winteregg (in three short movements) is a delightful work that was extremely well-played by Siebert. From the energy and aggressive nature of the first movement, to the wonderful lyricism of the second, to the dance-like compound meter feel of the third, this is a wonderfully composed work that should receive many performances in our recital and concert halls in the years ahead.

Awakening by David Crumb was a highlight of the New Works Recital. Scored for solo trumpet (Stephen Dunn) and percussion battery (John Pennington), this composition grabs your attention from the very first sounds of the piece. Followed by really soft (bag mute) playing Dunn's playing was simply stunning as was Pennington's dead-on accuracy with the battery of percussion instruments required. At times pointallistic, at others prone to quote other music (Petroushka), at still others extremely inward, this work featured excellent craftsmanship, a variety of moods, and held the audience's attention in spite of the fact that it came over two hours into the program...this speaks volumes for the work's effectiveness in a recital setting. Bravo!

The recital ended wtih James Stephenson's Glimmers of Hope, a work commissioned by the Richard Watson in 2005, and performed by him on trumpet with Douglas Major on organ. In the composer's own words,"Glimmers reflects the plight of an optimist in today's world." Commencing with a series of fanfares that gradually fall off only to rise again, each time a bit higher, this work brings the audience through a series of events that eventually transcend the doubt created by the falling offs and the use of non-chord tones that the composer inserts to create a sense of tension to finally end with an affirmation of the human spirit and the "winning out" of the optimist's spirit. This was a great, uplifting way to end a long but satisfying recital.