The Brass Herald interviews Jonathan Freeman-Attwood

Jonathan Freeman-Attwood's exciting and innovative album La Trompette Retrouvée has received wonderful acclaim for the thrilling re-discovery of French works from composers such as Fauré and Saint-Saëns. The album, which ‘re-conditions' works originally composed for other instruments, has been hailed a "fantastic record" (High Fidelity), whilst Gramophone stated "Apart from his nimble dexterity, Freeman-Attwood's playing is just as striking for the beauty of his lyrical phrasing and his richness of colour..." .

Specialist publications have also commended the recording and in the August-September issue of The Brass Herald Philip Biggs interviewed Jonathan Freeman-Attwood to gain more insight into the project. The interview offers an intriguing explanation into why the music was chosen and the difficulties in producing such a recital. The virtuoso trumpeter supports his decision to renovate the works declaring "the new versions arguably bring to life some of the more immediate and visceral elements than perhaps even the originals can't provide" and states "I'm sure Chabrier would have loved the quixotic potential and bright resonances of the trumpet and piano version of his Pièces Pittoresques".

The trumpeter also praises Linn Records' Philip Hobbs who produced the album. "He has both the musical nous to ascertain what the artists want from the music and, in parallel, to get an absolutely first-rate recorded sound".

Jonathan Freeman-Attwood continues to reveal his plans for the next instalment in the series which will involve works from the 17^th century. The project will re-work pieces which, when interpreted by the trumpet and piano, will offer a fresh delivery of works by composers such as Monteverdi and Schütz. He professes "I'm probably more excited about this than any of them". In the meantime why not listen to La Trompette Retrouvée and revel in the virtuosity and brilliance of an exhilarating performance.

The complete interview with Jonathan Freeman-Attwood appeared in the August-September issue (Issue 19) of The Brass Herald.