About Trumpet Concerto no. 3

Inspired by five paintings of the painter Wassily Kandinsky

The Trumpet Concerto No. 3 for trumpet and brass band uses five paintings of the painter Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) as inspirations for the various movements. Although Kandinsky was an abstract artist, his paintings suggest certain moods or thoughts, and I have used these to form a sort of architecture for the Trumpet Concerto No. 3. 

The first movement, Rowing, has a moving, swinging feel to it, while Dreamy, the second, as the title implies, is a more impressionistic movement, showing different colors both from the ensemble and soloist. It is felt that the third movement, Deluge, is Kandinsky's artistic reaction to the coming of World War 1, and so the music is extremely aggressive and harsh. Movement four, Gravestones uses two different groups of instruments and harmonies to convey both death or grief (muted cornets in chord clusters) and the mysterious or eternal (lower brass in parallel fifths), while the final movement, Rider, symbolizes a move from darkness to light .

Written for and dedicated to Rex Richardson, who is accomplished as both a classical and jazz artist, the Trumpet Concerto No 3 at times uses jazz chords or phrasings in addition to standard classical notation.

Anthony Plog, January 2016, Freiburg i. Br., Germany