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Artist: Alison Balsom
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Alison Balsom:

Bach: Works for Trumpet

Voted Young British Classical Performer of the Year at the 2006 Classical Brits, Alison Balsom follows her critically-acclaimed album Bach: Works for Trumpet with CAPRICE, a novel and demanding programme of specially arranged popular classic works.

Included are sparkling transcriptions of Mozart's 'Rondo alla Turca' and the Queen of the Night's aria (from The Magic Flute) as well as the scintillating 'Variations on Bellini's Norma' by the French virtuoso Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825-89). Amongst the more lyrical numbers, Balsom plays arrangements of Rachmaninov's haunting Vocalise and the exquisite Nocturne from Tomasi's Trumpet Concerto. She also brings her unique sound to two pieces played by the trumpet alone: Paganini's well-known violin Caprice No.24 and Debussy's Syrinx.

One of Alison Balsom's musical priorities is to widen the repertoire for her instrument. 'These pieces were not written for the trumpet, and some are very different to anything I have performed before,' she enthuses. 'Six of the arrangements are by Julian Milone - a violinist with the LPO - who does lots of arranging and orchestrating for the LPO and other musicians. I knew he'd do something fresh and original and, being a practicing musician, that I could work with him.'
 

Alison Balsom:

Caprice

Voted Young British Classical Performer of the Year at the 2006 Classical Brits, Alison Balsom follows her critically-acclaimed album Bach: Works for Trumpet with CAPRICE, a novel and demanding programme of specially arranged popular classic works.

Included are sparkling transcriptions of Mozart's 'Rondo alla Turca' and the Queen of the Night's aria (from The Magic Flute) as well as the scintillating 'Variations on Bellini's Norma' by the French virtuoso Jean-Baptiste Arban (1825-89). Amongst the more lyrical numbers, Balsom plays arrangements of Rachmaninov's haunting Vocalise and the exquisite Nocturne from Tomasi's Trumpet Concerto. She also brings her unique sound to two pieces played by the trumpet alone: Paganini's well-known violin Caprice No.24 and Debussy's Syrinx.

One of Alison Balsom's musical priorities is to widen the repertoire for her instrument. 'These pieces were not written for the trumpet, and some are very different to anything I have performed before,' she enthuses. 'Six of the arrangements are by Julian Milone - a violinist with the LPO - who does lots of arranging and orchestrating for the LPO and other musicians. I knew he'd do something fresh and original and, being a practicing musician, that I could work with him.'

Born in 1979, Balsom trained with Håkan Hardenberger and John Wallace. A concerto finalist in the 1998 BBC Young Musicians Competition, she received the Feeling Musique Prize for quality of sound in the Fourth Maurice Andr? International Trumpet Competition. In addition to her busy concert schedule, she is a visiting professor at the Guildhall School of Music. In January 2006, Alison Balsom made her US debut with the Milwaukee Symphony. Later in the year, she will give the premiere of a concerto written for her by the young British composer Joby Talbot.