Christoper Rouse: Heimdall's Trumpet for Solo Trumpet and Orchestra (Piano Reducion)
World Premiere
20/12/2012
Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, Chicago, IL
Christopher Martin, trumpet / Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Jaap van Zweden
Composer's Notes
Commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for its principal trumpeter, Christopher Martin, Heimdalls Trumpet was completed in Baltimore, Maryland on January 21, 2012. The title of the work refers to the Nordic god Heimdall, whose blasts on his trumpet announce the onset of Ragnarok, the Norse equivalent of Armageddon.
Cast in four movements, the title of the piece refers properly to the finale, which attempts in a general way to depict these mythological events as I imagine them. The onset of Ragnarok occurs only at the very end of the work, in a very short orchestral fortissimo outburst followed by an extended silence. The first movement is declamatory in nature and gives way to a whirlwind scherzo that utilizes a variety of mutes for both the soloist and the orchestral brass section. The third movement is a largo that swings like a pendulum between sections of substantive dissonance and straightforward consonance. The aforementioned finale, more specifically dramatic and programmatic in nature, returns to the more aggressive world of the first movement.
The solo trumpet part requires much of the player, who must possess enormous technical prowess, including the ability to produce pedal tones at some length.
Heimdalls Trumpet calls for an orchestra consisting of three flutes (third doubling piccolo), three oboes, three clarinets, three bassoons (third doubling contrabassoon), four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, harp, timpani, percussion (three players), and strings. It lasts approximately twenty-two minutes.
Christopher Rouse
Reproduction Rights:
This program note may be reproduced free of charge in concert programs with a credit to the composer.
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Christopher Rouse's new concerto, Heimdall's Trumpet, summons gods and humans for one final battle, in a showpiece for trumpet soloist and orchestra alike.
Heimdall's Trumpet, Christopher Rouse's new concerto for Chicago Symphony principal trumpet Christopher Martin enjoyed a successful premiere in December, with Musical America describing it as a concerto I would happily hear again and one that virtuoso orchestras will surely want to play [Martins] technical command was literally breath-taking. He nailed the composers huge, exposed leaps and tight, lightning-fast passage work with eloquence and ease. Rouse characterises the trumpet part as a clarion call to a world on the brink of destruction, drawing on Norse mythology when Heimdalls blasts on his trumpet will announce the onset of Ragnarok.
the premiere of Heimdalls Trumpet was an evocation of Armageddon, the moment when the god Heimdall summons gods and humans for one final battle the 20-minute concerto was a deftly paced ride to the edge of the abyss Rouse shapes his compositions with purpose. This is not a work that alternates between frenzy and quiet simply to show off the orchestras myriad colors, its ability to handle tricky rhythms, or to keep listeners off-balance there seems to be emotional reason behind every note. Whether the querulous, jittery flutters of the solo trumpet or the quietly ecstatic lyricism of serene winds and hovering strings, we feel that this musical journey is taking us somewhere we want to go.
Musical America
Count Heimdalls Trumpet as another Rouse success. Not all of the American composers works for soloist and orchestra are outright display pieces but this trumpet concerto melds solo pyrotechnics against a dramatic symphonic tapestry in especially graceful and compelling fashion.
Chicago Classical Review
hold on to the roller coaster and enjoy the ride
Chicago Tribune
Rouse has started his two-season residency with the New York Philharmonic and the first major new score is a concert-opener, Prosperos Rooms, to be premiered on 17 April and toured in May to Istanbul, Zürich, Munich, Dresden and Vienna under the baton of Alan Gilbert
