Album Notes

A mix of trumpet standards and refreshing transcriptions, this offering from Canadian trumpeter Suresh Singaratnam is a concise, yet intriguing debut release. The CD begins with a movement from a Johann Sebastian Bach's Sonata for Solo Violin in b minor. A gorgeous performance of Bellini's "Oh! Quante Volte" with pianist Phillip Kirchman is followed by a 5 trumpet treatment (all parts played by Singaratnam) of Rimsky Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee. Next, Singaratnam and Kirchman tackle Paul Hindemith's Sonata for Trumpet & Piano. "I wanted to stay closer to the written tempo on my recording. It was definitely a challenge to maintain the sound and volume I wanted at the slower tempo, but I thought it made the piano part make a lot more sense even though I've heard Phillip make that infamous piano part sound effortless at the faster tempo."The choice proved to be a sound one. At the more deliberate tempos, the dense piano part of the first movement has more room to breath under the powerful sound of Singaratnam's trumpet. The second movement provides the duo with an opportunities to explore lighter and more lyrical textures before returning the more serious tone of the final movement.This CD ends with Jean Baptiste Arban's Variations on The Carnival of Venice. Originally written for cornet, this showpiece has become one of the most famous in the trumpet repertoire. "This was the first solo I learned, so performing it always takes me back to my high school years. I still remember the first time I heard the Wynton Marsalis recording with the Eastman Wind Ensemble. When he got to the double tonguing run in the first variation, my jaw just dropped. I spent years trying to play this piece just like him before I realised I had to find my own voice on the instrument. That's one of the reasons I re-wrote most of the piano accompaniment. The other reason was, the lack of any variety or real interaction between the trumpet and piano in the original Arban score."Although the some of the technical variations are performed at some of the fastest tempos on record, Singaratnam and Kirchman take ample time to sing through the lyrical sections of this appropriate final section. Suresh Singaratnam - trumpetPhillip Kirchman - pianoRecorded at L. Brown Recording in New York, NY (Louis Brown - chief engineer)