Original Virtuoso Music for Brass


There are four works in this category. Most prominently, the Concerto per flicornobasso has become a staple of the baritone/euphonium solo repertoire since 1992. While the trumpet and cornet soloists can be identified, no documentation has been found in the Archivio di stato in Cremona for the flicornobasso soloist's name. In April, 2009, Glenn Van Looy, euphonium soloist of the Brass Band Heist, performed the concerto in a brass band arrangement prepared by Dr. Howey conducted by Bert Van Thienen. One may read Van Looy's comments here. Giuseppe Cesura was prima tromba, and vicemaestro Achille Bissocoli was the solo cornetist. Prior to 2004, the Fantasia sopra La Traviata was thought to be for cornet, found in an acknowledged copy. The same day that the construction of the concert database uncovered the actual designation of this work for trumpet, an article by Dr. Agostina Laterza revealed an autograph manuscript of the Fantasia (for trumpet) had been donated to the library of the Milan Conservatory. The Concerto per cornetto has had a checkered career as Ponchielli entitled it "di varij Autori." In spite of this possible mixed parentage, it has some of the best moments in all of these works. All three concertos require real technical mastery and push the soloists to their limits.

The addition of the cavatina from Donizetti's Maria Rohan is recent. Its inclusion is due to the extensive diminutions in Ponchielli's characteristic style that change this piece from being a "mere" presentation of an operatic scene to a technical tour-de-force for solo trumpeter Giuseppe Cesura.

The Sommerhalder family has just recorded several of these pieces.Here is a list of sources for this recording:USA; UK; Germany; France; Italy; Switzerland; Austria; Spain.

Concerto per cornetto di varij autore, Op. 198, PP.136.1

Concerto per flicornobasso, Op. 155, PP.143.11

Concerto per tromba in Fa, Op. 123, Ms.Civ. 76

Fantasia per tromba sopra motivi dell'opera La Traviata, Op. 146, PP.143.3

Aria e cavatina from Maria Rohan by Donizetti [Son leggera, è ver.], Op. 208, PP.136.11