Among all those intriguing trajectories found within the realm of so-called classical music, discovering the vast, living musical traditions of the Americas has its rightful place at the forefront of our endeavors in presenting audiences with ever more diverse picture of our interconnected cultural heritage. In this respect also, Friday evening’s concert by the Tampere Philharmonic, guest-conducted by Christian Vásquez and joined by Pacho Flores on trumpets, was a prime example of inspired programming, brought to life with top-tier musicality.
Serving as the gravitational centers of the evening, the orchestral players and their two marvelous Venezuelan guests provided the packed Tampere Hall audience with two exquisite concertante items written for Flores – that is to say Tuomas Turriago’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (2023), given in its world premiere outing, and Arturo Márquez’s Concierto de Otoño (2018) – primed by two kinetic orchestral scores, Roberto Sierra’s Fandangos (2000) and Inocente Carreño’s Margariteña, respectively.
Heralding the set-list, Sierra’s rousing ten-minute fantasy on fandangos by Antonio Soler and Luigi Boccherini was heard in sweeping reading. The colorist score calls forth an orchestra of duple winds with piccolo, English horn, bass clarinet and contrabassoon added, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, bass drum, castanets, cencerros, cymbals, marimba, snare drum, tambourine, tam-tam, tom-toms, triangle, vibraphone, xylophone, harp, piano, celesta and strings, all delving deep into the fandango idiom.
“I bring it to the present through some transformations of the musical fabric. When we are hearing something that may sound Baroque, a window into our time opens, and the piece is transformed. My title Fandangos (in plural) refers to the multi-dimensionality of the work”, the composer says in his note.
Sharing its rhythmic energy with that of Bernard Herrmann’s iconic overture to Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest (1959) – itself a fandango manifestation of Gary Grant’s “Astaire-like agility” according to its composer – Sierra’s variation sequences are awash with ingenious permutations of their source material, giving rise to orchestral choreography of splendid suggestive intensity. Apparent from the outset, Fandangos calls for utmost instrumental reactivity, as its musical lines transform from brass fanfares to woodwind elegies and dexterous string patterns, propelled by percussion, with ornamentations from harp and keyboards.
In terms of timbral finesse, Sierra’s score makes great use of its symphonic palette, dressing the music in ever-shifting orchestration, reminiscent, at times, that of Maurice Ravel, whose Bolero (1928) was initially to bear the title of Fandango. Performed with focus and flow under Vásquez, Fandangos provided the evening with befitting mood-setter.
Commissioned by the Tampere Philharmonic and dedicated to Flores, Turriago’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra marks a substantial entry into the solo instrument’s literature. Cast in three contiguous movements, the ca. twenty-minute musical arch is scored for solo trumpeter performing on three instruments and a full symphonic line up of duple winds with piccolo, bass clarinet and contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, xylophone, snare drum, cowbell, woodblock, Latin percussion, harp, piano and strings.
The concerto is launched by triple-forte tutti gesture, summoning the Allegro vivo e ritmico introduction into being. Layered percussion propel the rhythm, joined by full orchestra until, some eighteen measures later, the ensemble falls silent, highlighting the soloist’s Andante entry. Unrolling with airy flow, the solo line is echoed by tremolo strings, alongside rippling ostinati on harp, piano and clarinets, with double bass pulses embedded. More woodwinds join later on, alongside orchestral trumpets and tuba. The rhythmic profile gains momentum and the orchestra fabric grows more layered, while the solo line expands to its full virtuosity. Playful Allegretto sets the stage for spirited conversation between trumpet and trombones, leading to full orchestral Presto.
Strings, harp and piano mark the onset of the central Adagio. Out of its meditative stillness, cantabile solo line emerges, colored by woodwinds. Solo horn joins, and a delicate duet starts at figure O. Once completed, solo tuba takes over, leading the ensemble back to Allegro vivo e ritmico ambiance.
Led by piccolo and solo flute, the woodwinds restart the pulse, calling full orchestra into play. The soloist enters molto ritmico e scherzando, initiating veritable tour de force passage of splendor and magnificence, before leaving the orchestra behind and plunging into improvisatory cadenza. Zenithing with a powerhouse home run for trumpet and full ensemble, the concerto ends in fully-fledged triple-forte.
A wondrous world premiere from Flores and the Vásquez-led Tampere Philharmonic, Turriago’s concerto was given a remarkable workout, one awash with rhythmic legerity and incessant melodic current. Well balanced throughout the arch, the concerto’s flourishing instrumental fabric was brought to life with precision and clarity. Hopefully there are more outings in the pipeline for this brilliant music.
Heard after the intermission, Inocente Carreño’s symphonic suite Margariteña (1954) is perhaps best know to most Old World listeners from the 2008 Deutsche Grammophon album Fiesta by Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
Evocative horn opening sets the tone in almost cinematic manner, the chiaroscuro introduction setting the stage for swift orchestral sunrise. In the course of the ca. twelve-minute suite, Carreño quotes extensively from Venezuelan folk sources, stinging them together into instantly appealing series of variations, devised with beauty and craft, bridged together by recurring horn theme. Given in Technicolor raiment by the orchestra and Vásquez, Margariteña was a joyful affair.
The second trumpet concerto on the program, Márquez’s gorgeously autumnal Concierto de Otoño completed the evening’s multi-faceted mixtape in style. Premiered in September 2018 by Flores and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, conducted by Carlos Miguel Prieto, the ca. twenty-minute concerto is scored for four solo instruments, trumpets in C and D in the fast outer movements, respectively, as well as flugelhorn in B-flat and soprano cornet in F in the slow central one, joined by an orchestra of duple winds, with piccolo, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, snare drum, claves, congas, suspended cymbal, tambourine, guiro, cymbals, chimes, maracas, xylophone and strings.
“The trumpet is the queen in the heart of Mexico. We find it in practically every form of popular musical expression; it is the Mexican cry of joy and of sorrow. It is also foundational in Latin American concert music, and my Concierto de Otoño is a compilation of all those feelings, colors, and consolations”, the composer says.
Since its premiere, the concerto has traveled well with Flores, whose many appearances with the piece include its first Colombian performance with Vásquez and Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá as well as a Hollowood Bowl outing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Dudamel, among others. In 2022, Concierto de Otoño received its album first on DG, with Flores as soloist and Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería under Prieto.
The concerto opens with Son de luz dance movement in sonata form. The main rhythmic profile is established by the orchestra, upon which the soloist introduces the glowing opening melody. This leads to riveting dialogue, clad in sounding garments of full autumnal splendor. Halfway into the movement, the music cools down to delicate passage for woodwinds and trumpet, before reassuming its whirling core impetus. Soaring sky-high, the solo trumpet leads the movement to its close.
The central chaconne, Balada di floripondios, is built upon solo lines of utmost beauty, buoyantly unraveled over delicate string accompaniment, interlocked with subtle percussion. Winds and brass come to the fore later on, interwoven with the solo ballade.
Titled with double reference, Conga de Flores finale rondo picks up speed and dynamics, calling the soloist and the orchestra into tempestuous virtuoso roundoff. The recurring material mounts into one dazzling spiral, resolving into festive cadenza – with some audience participation and good humor embedded – before landing on its resonant double-bar.
A performance of lyrical fortitude and captivating virtuosity, Concierto de Otoño was delivered with admirable musicality by everyone involved. From Flores’s absolute mastery over the solo part to full-scale commitment from the orchestra with Vásquez, who kept the ensemble ever in track with the soloist, giving rise to memorable reading of one of the most wonderful trumpet concertos around.
Saluted with standing ovation leading to sublime solo encore, Concierto de Otoño completed the evening’s cycle in joyous style.
Tampere Philharmonic
Christian Vásquez, conductor
Pacho Flores, trumpet
Roberto Sierra: Fandangos (2000) for orchestra
Tuomas Turriago: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (2023) (world premiere, Tampere Philharmonic commission)
Inocente Carreño: Margariteña (1954) – Symphonic suite for orchestra
Arturo Márquez: Concierto de Otoño (2018) for trumpet and orchestra
Tampere Hall, Tampere, Finland
Friday 5 April 2024, 7 pm
© Jari Kallio
AIM - Adventures in Music 
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