CD of the Week, DR (Danish Radio)
”Hardenberger proves that the trumpet can smooch as well as any saxophone or clarinet.” The Mail on Sunday; “One of the greatest trumpet soloists of this generation. I ... was pleasantly surprised with its beauty and elegance.” American Record Guide; ”The most tasteful crossover disc I’ve heard in ages.” TheArtsDesk; “Hardenberger has it all: gorgeous tone, consistency throughout all registers, immaculate intonation and superb dynamic control… The arrangements are unfailingly beautiful and inventive.” MusicWeb International
For more than two decades, Håkan Hardenberger has been breaking new ground for the trumpet, commissioning new works from the world’s foremost composers. On the present disc he shows a different side of his music-making, however – one that may surprise those who know him as the intrepid interpreter of fiendishly complicated contemporary scores or the impeccably elegant performer of the classical repertoire such as the trumpet concertos by Haydn and Hummel. Not that Hardenberger is less intrepid or elegant than usual – but now he is finding use for these qualities in a programme of his own favourite songs and film themes, in imaginative arrangements made especially for this recording. Continuing a tradition begun by Chet Baker, Hardenberger’s trumpet-and-strings disc is as smooth as any, with the soloist relishing the opportunity to play the most meltingly beautiful tunes, in the most meltingly tuneful way. It also brings him together with some long-standing musical collaborators of his – the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the pianist Roland Pöntinen, who has made several of the arrangements and who also appears as guest performer in Michel Legrand’s Sans Toi and Kurt Weill’s Speak Low.
