The great Håkan Hardenberger dedicates his masterclass to three pieces of the last century’s repertoire for trumpet.
Håkan Hardenberger is considered the greatest trumpet soloist today. Born in Malmö, Sweden, he started studying the trumpet when he was eight with composer Bo Nilsson. Then he continued his training in Paris with Pierre Thibaud and later in Los Angeles with Thomas Stevens. Apart from his interpretations of the classical repertoire, he is famous for his will to explore and play contemporary pieces with his trumpet. Thus, pieces of composers from the twentieth century like Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Heinz karl Gruber, Olga Neuwitz and Arvo Pärt became cult thanks to him. He is currently a very famous teacher and teaches at the Malmö Academy of Music as well as at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.
In this masterclass, two sonatinas are performed. Those short sonatas are less developed, technically less difficult than classical sonatas, but have a great pedagogical interest. We first hear Bohuslav Martinu’s Sonatina for Trumpet and Piano and after comes Hans Werner Henze’s Sonatina for Solo Trumpet. Finally, Légende by Georges Enesco – a brilliant violinist who inspired Yehudi Menuhin – is performed. In this piece, Håkan Hardenberger shows all his modernity by showcasing the trumpet, an instrument rarely represented in chamber music and that here deploys its whole range and a powerful and warm sound.
The Masterclass Media Foundation Archives offer to students and music lovers around the world filmed masterclasses, given by the best talents, on the greatest works of the classical repertoire. Their primary purpose is to provide a valuable educational resource in order to perpetuate passion and knowledge from one generation to another.
