The trumpet is an instrument equally at home in every century – in fact, we have evidence of ancient trumpets going back thousands of years! But the instrument had its heyday in the Baroque period, and today we’ll get to enjoy a real cornucopia of trumpet treats, with a special nod to Italian composer and violinist Giuseppe Torelli, who died this day in 1709. Although his catalogue is certainly not lacking in works for violin, he had a special place reserved for the trumpet, dedicating several of his concerti, concertini, and sinfonie to this instrument. We’ll hear some of these alongside other versions of the early, unvalved trumpet, though an excursion into the more modern lands of the early valved trumpet might be in the offing.
RTÉ lyric fm, Sunday 8th February, 7am-10am
