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Review from the Australian Trumpet Guild Journal September 2006

James Blunt (Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra).

Expatriate Aussie trumpeter, John Coulton, lives and works in the UK after originally having studied trumpet in Queensland Conservatorium. With organist David Dunnett, who is Master of Music at Norwich Cathedral, he has recorded a varied collection of eleven works ranging from the late Renaissance Suite de Danses of Melchior Franck, through pieces by five different Baroque composers, to two pieces by French Romantic composers and on to two works of 20th century origin.

One of these last two work is Okna by Czech composer Petr Eben, and at more than 21 minutes duration this major four movement work is specifically written for the pairing of trumpet and organ. Each of the movements is inspired by a different Marc Chagall stained glass window in the Hadassah Medical Centre in Jerusalem, and each has a different musical character. This piece certainly gives the performers plenty of scope to display their fine abilities. The trumpet writing is generally very strong, and includes a lot of marcato articulations, wide interval skips and vigorous chromaticism. The second movement opens and closes with cup-muted timbres, and the final movement starts with a Russian orthodox hymn tune, giving John a chance to display his fine legato playing , which is then followed by a section using striking polytonality. This is probably the most important composition for trumpet and organ of the 20 th century, and it was a real pleasure to reacquaint myself with this seldom-heard piece. I would say that the inclusion of this major work makes this disc well worth having in your collection, even without all the other repertoire.

Not all the works included are originally for trumpet and organ, and several fine transcriptions include the Pie Jesu from Faure's Requiem, beautifully played on flugelhorn, and the Ground Ave Marie theme which John plays on trumpet. Tomaso Albinoni's Concerto in F is another arrangement and is played with admirable technical prowess on the piccolo trumpet.

I must say that at times I found the unvarying brilliance of the piccolo trumpet timbre a little tiring to listen to and there was a couple of overly exuberant movements, such as the last high D at the end of Henry Purcell's Sonata for Trumpet, which were a bit over the top for my own personal taste. There can however be no disputing John Coulton's talents as a trumpeter and in conclusion I would have to say that this new disc comes highly recommended and is a testament to the talents of both the artists and to this justly famed combination of the instruments of kings with the king of instruments.

John Coulton