Resonance

Matilda Lloyd writes: ‘Resonance is a multifaceted word with many different meanings, all of which are explored in this album of music for trumpet and orchestra. It derives from the Latin word resonantia, meaning ‘echo’, and both concertos on this album are an echo of the music of the past. Weinberg’s trumpet concerto contains many fanfares that date back to the trumpet’s military origins, and in the extended cadenza at the beginning of the third movement, Weinberg incorporates musical excerpts by other composers, including Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” and Stravinsky’s “Petrushka”. However, these are not superficial references to the past, but rather euphemisms; Weinberg twists and distorts the quotations into something dark and menacing. Christoph Schönberger has described his concerto as “neo-Romantic”, referring to the harmonic and melodic language of composers from the Romantic period. “Resonance” can also be used to describe the powerful images, emotions or memories that arise in the mind when listening to music. Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise is the ultimate expression of this kind of resonance. The final work on the CD, Goedieck’s Concert Étude, has a personal significance for me: As a child, it was my favourite work for trumpet and piano. At the beginning of my career, it was my preferred encore, and now I am delighted by this brand-new orchestral version by Lee Reynolds.’