Telemann, Marcello et al. - Trumpet Concertos - Sergei Nakariakov (trumpet) - The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra - Hugh Wolff (TELDEC)

A long time I bought this recording exclusively for the Telemann piece (the F-minor one). At the time, I didn’t even check what else was on the disc; I just had to get a CD-version of the concerto written by the ultra-prolific German composer. As I found out later, the rest of the music is of hit-or-miss quality.

First on we have a concerto by Antonio Vivaldi. Originally written for violin and oboe, this piece in B-flat is a light little concerto that doesn’t completely grab my attention. Maybe it’s the fact that, because of the transcription, the trumpet sounds slightly out of place with the music that surrounds it, I’m not sure. As with all Vivaldi, though, one can’t expect anything else but a joyful time.

The second concerto is a D-major one by Georg Phillip Telemann. Unlike the one that steals the show at the end, this one lacks the dramatic punch or the melodic gift necessary to make it unforgettable. Anyway, this is a good rendition by the (then) very young Russian virtuoso Sergei Nakariakov and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Hugh Wolff.

The work of Johann Baptist Georg Neruda was unknown to me until I listened to the Concerto in E-flat, which is the longest one in the disc. The style of this piece is more classical and less baroque than the rest of the music on this album. To be honest, I'm not going to rush and get more recordings of Neruda’s works anytime soon. Though graceful and light, the concerto pales in comparison with the rest, with little character and invention, and short in melodic delicacies.

Things change for the better with Alessandro Marcello’s dark, winter-ready concerto in C-minor. The powerful statement that opens it sets the stage for the rest of the piece, where the trumpet sounds much more involved than in the previous one. The second movement is particularly beautiful, though I’m almost positive that it would sound even more beautiful in its original instrument, the oboe. Nakariakov plays with grace, though I think he could have avoided embellishing the theme when it is so perfect just by itself.

As is my norm, I pretty much ignored Bach’s Agnus Dei from his B-minor Mass here as it’s an adaptation and also an excerpt, unnecessarily cut from one of music’s all-time most glorious moments.

The best has been left for last. Telemann’s concerto in F-minor is also originally an oboe piece, but it has been played so often in this trumpet form that it has become a staple of the instrument’s repertoire. My favorite work by the composer, it’s presented brilliantly here by the Russian trumpeter who seems to understand it perfectly. The ambiguous, imposing first phrase of the concerto has all the necessary energy, though it could be played a hair slower for my taste. Unlike the Neruda piece, here the slow movement gets a great treatment by Nakariakov, who caresses the notes with his instrument. The third movement is an absolute gem of an interpretation, with the right speed and character.

As I said before, the album is not perfect but it’s highly recommended (if still possible to get), if only for the Telemann F-minor concerto and the Marcello work.

3.5/5