All were in for a real treat for this week’s lunchtime recital, as an exciting selection of brass pieces were performed by Joshua (horn), Daniel (horn), Owen (horn), and Lizzie (trumpet).
Joshua opened the concert with a modern twist on the folk melody Loch Lomond by Timothy Jackson. Joshua really captured the punchy jazz style and syncopated rhythmic feel with strong control of dynamics and attacked the sforzando moments with plenty of air and force. The glissandi in the hand were a real surprise and mastered well by Joshua throughout the performance. Wonderful!
Next came the fiendishly challenging Morceau de Concert by Saint-Saëns for Horn, performed by Form 5, Daniel. Daniel approached this performance with a real sense of purpose and controlled dynamic contrasts well, really paying close attention to the gentler piano moments. His hand-stopping technique was excellent, and really controlled the pitch of the notes well, a difficult feat to master on the Horn. Well done Daniel.
To complete the trio of Horn pieces, Owen provided a beautiful rendition of Strauss’ Nocturno, really playing to the strengths of the lyrical writing Strauss provides. Owen controlled difficult leaps well and pitched upper notes with precision and gave plenty of support to the basso range of his horn. Well done Owen!
Lizzie closed the concert with an exhilarating performance of Tico-Tico by Abreu, capturing the festival spirit of the music through twists and turns of bustling semiquaver runs executed with style. The range of the piece seemed to leap from upper to lower range constantly, which was controlled well by Lizzie with an exceptionally clear tone. A strong performance and showcase of the horn and trumpet from all our performers today.
The recital is available to watch here.
