For fanciers of the trumpet and brilliant trumpeting, this is a wonderful disc. Bach, as far as we know, and unlike Telemann, Stölzel, and many other Baroque composers, not to mention Haydn and Hummel who followed them, did not write any concerted works specifically for the trumpet. Nonetheless, his assignment of important obbligato parts to it in a number of his cantatas, orchestral suites, and of course the Brandenburg No. 2, attests both to his appreciation of the instrument and to the high expectations he had for its technical mastery. It must be acknowledged, however, that the instrument Bach was writing for was not the modern valve trumpet we know today. It was, in all probability, the clarino, a valveless piece of plumbing that, through rigorous training, could be coaxed to sound adjacent pitches in a very high register. It must have been brutal to play, and one can only imagine how unreliable its tone production must have been.

None of this, of course, is a concern to Alison Balsom, a young and phenomenally accomplished artist who plays a modern trumpet in these transcriptions of Bach works, two of which happen to be twice transcribed—the Concerto in D after Vivaldi’s op. 9/3 from L’estro armonico and the Concerto in C Minor after Alessandro Marcello’s oboe concerto—both of which Bach himself arranged for keyboard. The Concerto, BWV 1055, here transposed to C, is an original work Bach composed in A, and which is believed to have been intended for oboe or oboe d’amore. The Trio Sonata heard here is No. 5 of the six little organ sonatas, which it is generally accepted that Bach wrote for his son, Wilhelm Friedemann.

Overall, these transcriptions work quite well, and certainly showcase the brilliant talent of Balsom, who studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Paris Conservatory, and then with world renowned trumpet virtuoso, Håkan Hardenberger. As vehicles for demonstrating her skill and artistry, the faster movements of the concertos, the trio sonata, and of course, the Badinerie, which must surely be an even more formidable challenge to negotiate on the trumpet than it is on the flute, are the most convincing. The slower pieces, especially the Sarabande from the Cello Suite and the “Agnus Dei” from the Mass, despite the loveliness of Balsom’s tone and the impressiveness of her unwavering pitch and breath control, do not seem to speak with the same emotional warmth as do their original settings.

Still, a very fine recital and introduction (mine anyway) to an exciting young artist. Recommended.

FANFARE: Jerry Dubins