Wayne Marshall & Ole Edvard Antonsen - Pulling Out the Stops! Popular Pieces for Trumpet and Organ (1994/2023)

Ole Edvard Antonsen came to my attention, initially, in an accomplished disc of trumpet concertos with the English Chamber Orchestra (EMI, 2/94), where his dazzling virtuosity and lyrical, if unrefined, musicality was refreshing to say the least. This latest recording is less artistically ambitious in its popular vein though this is not the overriding reason why it is ultimately a disappointment. ''Pulling out the stops!'' is a trite and misjudged title, for a start, since the disc is notable more for its arrangements of melodic gems than the rousing voluntaries which most people associate with the 'no holds barred' combination of trumpet and organ. What is more, this admittedly limited instrumental medium has greater expressive potential than one might imagine (listen to the arrangements and performances of Maurice Andre and Marie-Claire Alain) and therefore a more appropriate catch-phrase would not have gone amiss.

As for the playing both Antonsen and Marshall are exceptionally talented and charismatic performers, and the listener is left in no doubt that he is dealing in the best raw material. But musically it remains rather barren. There is not much that can go wrong with Charpentier's Prelude to the Te Deum or Jesu, joy of man's desiring (Cantata No. 147) if you display an adequate measure of crisp and rounded tone-quality in each piece respectively—qualities which the trumpeter produces effortlessly. Yet although Antonsen evidently relishes the slower movements (the faster ones are usually dazzling), his manipulation of the beat and vibrato tends to become bland and predictable. It is hard to pin down exactly why cockles are rarely warmed but it mainly comes down to his inability to 'sing' a phrase with the variety and personality of a type likely to make his performances truly memorable. Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland is one such piece where the Affekt must be comprehended and explored for all its worth, as a good organist would in its original form. I am not advocating necessarily a greater awareness for 'authentic' style but simply a convincing interpretation which is more than just slick wallpaper music.

Too many pernickety complaints for an innocent 'pop' disc designed to lift the spirits? Maybe, since it will certainly knock any lurking gloom on the head and in the pearly strains of the Rachmaninov—in an arrangement which works particularly well—Antonsen and Marshall know how to soothe. Indeed, it is in these sorts of pieces (also a delightful Canto amoroso by Olsen) that their duetting is heard at its most convincing, and at times the results are hauntingly beautiful.'

Tracklist
[2:06] 1. Wayne Marshall - Toccata in D Major for Organ (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[2:20] 2. Wayne Marshall - Te Deum, H. 146: I. Prelude (Arr. Antonsen and Marshall for Trumpet and Organ)
[3:38] 3. Wayne Marshall - Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV 147: No. 10, Choral. "Jesus bleibet meine Freude" (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:29] 4. Wayne Marshall - Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067: VII. Badinerie (Arr. Antonsen and Marshall for Trumpet and Organ)
[4:40] 5. Wayne Marshall - Schübler Chorale: No. 1, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645 (Arr. Antonsen and Marshall for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:55] 6. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 1, La majesté, TWV 50:31 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[2:04] 7. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 2, La grâce TWV 50:32 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:21] 8. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 3, La vaillance, TWV 50:33 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:26] 9. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 4, La tranquillité, TWV 50:34 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:17] 10. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 5, L'armement, TWV 30:35 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[2:17] 11. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 6, L'amour, TWV 50:36 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:26] 12. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 7, La vigilance, TWV 50:37 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:17] 13. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 8, La gaillardise, TWV 50:38 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:53] 14. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 9, La douceur, TWV 50:39 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:35] 15. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 10, La générosité, TWV 50:40 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:26] 16. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 11, L'espérance, TWV 50:41 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:19] 17. Wayne Marshall - 12 Marches héroïques: No. 12, La réjouissance, TWV 50:42 (Arr. Alain for Trumpet and Organ)
[4:20] 18. Wayne Marshall - 18 Chorale Preludes "Leipzig Chorals": No. 9, Nun komm der Heiden Heiland, BWV 659 (Arr. Antonsen and Marshall for Trumpet and Organ)
[3:45] 19. Wayne Marshall - Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068: II. Air (Arr. Antonsen and Marshall for Trumpet and Organ)
[2:10] 20. Wayne Marshall - Suite in D Major IV. Prince of Denmark's March "Trumpet Voluntary" (Arr. Antonsen and Marshall for Trumpet and Organ)
[4:57] 21. Wayne Marshall - 14 Romances, Op. 34: No. 14, Vocalise (Arr. Antonsen and Marshall for Trumpet and Organ)
[3:04] 22. Wayne Marshall - 2 Elegiac Melodies, Op. 34: No. 2, Last Spring (Arr. Antonsen and Marshall for Trumpet and Organ)
[1:57] 23. Wayne Marshall - 25 Norwegian Folk Songs and Dances, Op. 17: No. 22, Cattle Call (Arr. Antonsen and Marshall for Trumpet and Organ)
[2:00] 24. Wayne Marshall - Wedding March from Nordmøre (Arr. Antonsen and Marshall for Trumpet and Organ)
[2:36] 25. Wayne Marshall - 3 Love Songs, Op. 36: No. 1, Canto amoroso
[4:57] 26. Wayne Marshall - Old Tune from Dalecarlia