Hyperion Records

Michael Haydn (1737–1806), Joseph’s younger brother, was Konzertmeister and Organist to the Archbishop of Salzburg. His Trumpet Concerto in C (MH60) was composed in 1763 for an unidentified trumpeter of unusual virtuosity. Scored for trumpet, two flutes, strings and harpsichord continuo, its opening movement is a re-working of a violin concerto (MH52) written circa 1760–62 in Grosswardein. The trumpet is taken to stratospheric heights—to its 21st harmonic—notes which are only obtainable by a player of exceptional ability. The solo trumpet part is interwoven with that of the flutes, showing that even in post-Baroque times the trumpet could still be played with exquisite subtlety. The faster, second movement, more conventional in its form, finds the trumpet skipping around playfully in its highest register.

from notes by H C Robbins Landon & Crispian Steele-Perkins © 2001