Concerto for Trumpet
Alexander Arutjunjan (b. 1920)

Andante—Allegro energico
Meno mosso
Tempo I

Alexander Arutjunjan was born in Yerevan, Armenia, on September 23, 1920. He graduated from Yerevan Conservatory in 1941 and then, in 1946, studied composition for two years at the House of Armenian Culture in Moscow with Litinsky. On his return to Armenia he claimed the position of Musical Director of the Royal Philharmonic Society and, in 1954, was appointed Musical Director of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Concerto for Trumpet in Ab was Arutjunjan’s sixth major composition and is his most famous work. Although not commissioned to write the concerto, he had intended to write one in 1943 and had been inspired by his friend and native trumpeter Tsolak Vartazarian, Principal Trumpet of the Armenian Philharmonic, but unfortunately Vartazarian was killed in military action during the war and the work got sidelined until its first performance in 1950 by Aykaz Messiayan. The work however became most well known through performances by Timofei Dokshizer who introduced it to a wider audience when he emigrated to the United States. Dokshizer was also the first to record this work and his recording is still the standard against which all other recordings are rated.

The Trumpet Concerto was written as a concert piece that could be enjoyed by all audiences. As with much of Arutjunjan’s music, it is strongly influenced by his nationality, incorporating melodic and rhythmic flavours of Armenian folk music, although he avoids using any actual folk tunes and does not try to tell a story with the music.

Although written in three parts, Andante-Allegro energico, Meno mosso and Tempo I, the concerto was not conceived to have separate movements, and these parts should be considered more as sections within a one movement work, and are joined together without pause. After the brief declamatory opening the work gets underway with a lively, dancing and lyrical theme. This is contrasted in the Meno mosso with a reflective interlude featuring beautiful slow melodic and sometimes haunting lines sung through the muted trumpet. The Tempo I sees the return of the spirited opening theme. This is now usually performed with a cadenza written in 1977 by Timofei Dokshizer (a cadenza described by Arutjunjan himself as ‘Wonderful’).

© Adrian Horn