Sound the Trumpet: Royal Music of Purcell & Handel / Alison Balsom, trumpet

• Album Summary
• Notes & Reviews
• Also Purchased
• Works Details

Album Summary

Performers

• Alison Balsom (Trumpet)
• Trevor Pinnock (Organ)
• Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord)
• Iestyn Davies (Countertenor)
• Lucy Crowe (Soprano)

Conductor

• Pinnock, Trevor

Ensemble

• The English Concert

Composers

• George Frederick Handel (1685 - 1759)
• Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695)

Notes & Reviews:

In the year of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, Alison Balsom celebrates the heroic era of the Baroque trumpet in works by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) and Henry Purcell (1658 or 1659-1695), whose anthems, odes, sinfonias and operas have provided the music for numerous royal celebrations from their own day to the present.

Joining forces with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert orchestra that he founded, Balsom demonstrates the versatility and expressive power of her valve-less instrument in original works and new arrangements. These include Purcell's Sound the trumpet and Handel's Eternal Source of light divine in duet with countertenor Lestyn Davies and Purcell's The Plaint from The Fairy Queen in duet with soprano Lucy Crowe.

Recently crowned 'Female Artist of the Year' for the second time at the Classic BRITs, Alison Balsom has cemented an international reputation as one of classical music's great ambassadors and is ranked among the most distinctive and ground-breaking musicians on the international circuit today. Balsom has also been honored with numerous awards by Gramophone, Classic FM and ECHO Klassik.

Alison made her Hollywood Bowl debut this August, with a critically acclaimed performance of the Haydn concerto. She will return to the US in the spring of 2013 for a major-market tour.

LA Times
Balsom excites audiences by blending flawless technique with nuanced interpretations.

The Independent, October 2012
For historical accuracy, she plays the valve-less "natural" trumpet: it really does appear to offer a more direct access to the human voice, a quality confirmed when she duets with countertenor Iestyn Davies.

The Times, October 2012
The music is glorious; so is Balsom's artistry as she weaves a flawless path alongside Trevor Pinnock's English Concert.

Gramophone Magazine, December 2012
When the instrument is played as fluidly agreeably as it is here, nobody could doubt that it is the right tool for the job...And it all works. This is rattling good music, and so easily does the trumpet fit into it that often it is hard to recall what the original scorings were anyway. Balsom, too, sounds utterly at home...and [is] wonderfully backed by the English Concert and the bright natural musicianship of Trevor Pinnock.

The Arts Desk, 1st December 2012
Her distinctive tone remains clearly recognisable, despite the instrument's limitations. The timbre is sweeter, less aggressively strident than that of the modern trumpet, and she's paired with Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert, providing crisp, bouncy support.

International Record Review, December 2012
Up at the top of her range, or down below, fast or slow, she is in superb control and form...the lightness of the string accompaniments, the calm attention to springy rhythms, the unobtrusive sensitivity of the phrasing, all done without exaggerated emphasis or anachronistic flamboyance, are a sheer delight...[Pinnock] is surely a national treasure.

BBC Music Magazine, January 2013
This charming disc contains some of the most imaginative and polished trumpet playing you're ever likely to hear...Born-again authenticists may cavil at Balsom's vented trumpet, a modern development aiding intonation. But her flexible tuning, scrupulously focused to blend with the harmony, is a relief from the compromised tuning needed to play certain notes on true 18th-century instruments.

American Record Guide, March / April 2013
Balsom is listed as playing natural trumpet. The vented version makes the instrument much more comfortable for someone who plays valved trumpet most of the time. This is part of why Balsom, Eklund, and almost all others who play natural trumpet sound so amazingly good.

Notes & Reviews:

Personnel: Simon Neal (harpsichord).

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Works Details

Handel, George Frideric : Amadigi di Gaula, HWV 11 :: Sento la gioia (Act 3)

• Performers: Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord)
• Conductor: Trevor Pinnock
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 4 min. 44 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1715

Purcell, Henry : King Arthur Z 628 - Suite :: 1. Overture (Act 1)

• Performers: Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 3 min. 36 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1691

Purcell, Henry : King Arthur Z 628 - Suite :: 2. Come if you dare (Act 1)

• Performers: Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Trevor Pinnock (Organ)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 3 min. 1 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1691

Purcell, Henry : King Arthur Z 628 - Suite :: 3. Symphony (Act 5)

• Performers: Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Trevor Pinnock (Organ)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 1 min. 55 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1691

Purcell, Henry : King Arthur Z 628 - Suite :: 4. Shepherd, shepherd, leave decoying (Act 2)

• Performers: Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Trevor Pinnock (Organ)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 1 min. 48 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1691

Purcell, Henry : King Arthur Z 628 - Suite :: 5. Round thy shores (Act 5)

• Performers: Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Alison Balsom (Trumpet)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 1 min. 10 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1691

Purcell, Henry : King Arthur Z 628 - Suite :: 6. Trumpet tune (Act 5)

• Performers: Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Trevor Pinnock (Organ)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1691

Purcell, Henry : King Arthur Z 628 - Suite :: 7. Fairest isle (Act 5)

• Performers: Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Alison Balsom (Trumpet)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 2 min. 2 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1691

Handel, George Frideric : Atalanta HWV35 :: Overture

• Performers: Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 4 min. 1 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1736

Handel, George Frideric : Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne HWV74 :: Eternal source of light divine

• Performers: Iestyn Davies (Countertenor); Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 3 min. 34 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1713

Purcell, Henry : The Fairy Queen Z629 - Suite of Musicks and Dances :: 1. Symphony (Act 4)

• Performers: Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 6 min. 27 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1689

Purcell, Henry : The Fairy Queen Z629 - Suite of Musicks and Dances :: 2. Rondeau (Second Musick)

• Performers: Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Alison Balsom (Trumpet)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 1 min. 40 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1689

Purcell, Henry : The Fairy Queen Z629 - Suite of Musicks and Dances :: 3. Jig (Act 1)

• Performers: Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Alison Balsom (Trumpet)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 1 min. 6 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1689

Purcell, Henry : The Fairy Queen Z629 - Suite of Musicks and Dances :: 4. Prelude (Act 5)

• Performers: Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Organ)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 1 min. 3 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1689

Purcell, Henry : The Fairy Queen Z629 - Suite of Musicks and Dances :: 5. Chaconne and chorus (Act 5)

• Performers: Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 3 min. 58 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1689

Purcell, Henry : Cone, ye Sons of Art Z323 (Ode for the birthday of Queen Mary) :: Sound the trumpet

• Performers: Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Iestyn Davies (Countertenor)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 2 min. 35 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1694

Handel, George Frideric : Water Piece, suite for trumpet, strings & continuo in D major (spurious arrangement), HWV 341

• Performers: Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Alison Balsom (Trumpet)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 6 min. 5 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1733

Purcell, Henry : The Fairy Queen Z629 :: The Plaint (Act 5)

• Performers: Lucy Crowe (Soprano); Alison Balsom (Trumpet); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Trevor Pinnock (Organ)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Running Time: 7 min. 44 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Written: 1689

Handel, George Frideric : Concerto for Oboe in B flat major (no 2a), HWV 301 (possibly spurious)

• Performers: Trevor Pinnock (Organ); Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichord); Alison Balsom (Trumpet)
• Ensemble: The English Concert
• Notes: Henry Wood Hall, London (04/17/2012-04/22/2012); St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb (04/17/2012-04/22/2012)
• Running Time: 6 min. 48 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Concerto
• Written: circa 1706-1710