Oskar Böhme Trumpet Concerto & Pieces Matthias Höfs & Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen

• Oskar Böhme (1870 - 1938): Trumpet Concerto, Op. 18:
• 1Böhme: Trumpet Concerto, Op. 18: I. Allegro moderato07:54
• 2Böhme: Trumpet Concerto, Op. 18: II. Adagio religioso. Allegretto05:47
• 3Böhme: Trumpet Concerto, Op. 18: III. Rondo. Allegro scherzando03:28
• Entsagung, Op. 19 (Arr. by Stephan Peiffer):
• 4Böhme: Entsagung, Op. 19 (Arr. by Stephan Peiffer)03:42
• Soirée de St. Petersbourg, Op. 23:
• 5Böhme: Soirée de St. Petersbourg, Op. 2304:38
• Danse Russe, Op. 32 (Arr. for trumpet & chamber ensemble by Stephan Peiffer):
• 6Böhme: Danse Russe, Op. 32 (Arr. for trumpet & chamber ensemble by Stephan Peiffer)05:44
• Liebeslied, Op. 22, No. 2 (Arr. for trumpet & chamber ensemble by Stephan Peiffer):
• 7Böhme: Liebeslied, Op. 22, No. 2 (Arr. for trumpet & chamber ensemble by Stephan Peiffer)03:47
• La Napolitaine, Tarantella, Op. 25 (Arr. for trumpet & chamber ensemble by Matthias Höfs):
• 8Böhme: La Napolitaine, Tarantella, Op. 25 (Arr. for trumpet & chamber ensemble by Matthias Höfs)04:02
• Trompeten-Sextett, Op. 30:
• 9Böhme: Trompeten-Sextett, Op. 30: I. Adagio ma non tanto. Allegro molto05:46
• 10Böhme: Trompeten-Sextett, Op. 30: II. Scherzo. Allegro vivace02:14
• 11Böhme: Trompeten-Sextett, Op. 30: III. Rondo. Allegro scherzando04:48
• 12Böhme: Trompeten-Sextett, Op. 30: IV. Allegro con spirito04:07
• Total Runtime55:57

Info for Oskar Böhme Trumpet Concerto & Pieces

The tragic fate of composer Oskar Böhme long went unresearched. His music suffered a similar fate. On his new album “Oskar Böhme – Trumpet Concerto & Pieces” the trumpeter Matthias Höfs is joined by The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in a performance of his most ambitious works that aims to win a hearing both for his striking and sensitive music and for the story of his life.

The Trumpet Concerto – which is the only Romantic 19th-century concerto for trumpet – is presented here in Matthias Höfs’s own orchestration. It is a challenging work that holds the attention with its dramatic narrative and powerful cadenzas.

The “pieces” on this album display the full stylistic spectrum of Böhme’s oeuvre. “Entsagung” is memorable for its soft tone colours that admirably bring out its restrained sorrow. “Soirée de St. Petersbourg” evokes the image of the city at night with its illuminated palaces and glittering canals. His “Russian Dance” is heard on this album in a version for mixed ensemble. The musical language that pervades this piece illustrates Böhme’s fateful affinity with his adopted homeland. The furious haste of “La Napolitaine, Tarantelle” once again proves the capability of the fully fledged trumpeter. The ambitious Trumpet Sextet in E flat minor brings to a close our journey through selected works of Oskar Böhme.

For many years little or no information was available about the composer. Oskar Böhme was born into a family of musicians near Dresden in 1870; he studied in Germany and Hungary and then emigrated to Russia, where he even changed his nationality in order to improve his chances of a place in one of the great orchestras. Despite his efforts to achieve perfect integration into Russian society, his German origins proved fateful when the Bolsheviks seized power – after years of persecution, he was executed for “anti-Soviet activities” on October 3, 1938.

“Oskar Böhme – Trumpet Concerto & Pieces” is the third album that Matthias Höfs has recorded with the German Chamber Orchestra of Bremen. After the trumpet concertos of Telemann and Bach, soloist and orchestra continue their fruitful cooperation with this Böhme album.

Matthias Höfs, trumpet
Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Tarmo Peltokoski, conductor

Matthias Höfs
By the age of six, Matthias Höfs declared the trumpet his instrument, “because it shines so nicely”. He received his musical education from Professor Peter Kallensee at Hamburg University of Music and Theatre, as well as from Professor Konradin Groth at the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Just being eighteen years old, Höfs was already engaged as solo-trumpeter at the Philharmonic State Orchestra in Hamburg, where he enjoyed the fascinating world of opera for sixteen years. At the same time, Höfs became a member of the GERMAN BRASS Ensemble, with whom he continues to achieve worldwide successes. Since their first joint concert in 1985, he has been writing costumized and innovative arrangements for his colleagues and himself, which span more than one genre and continue to inspire the world of brass. Matthias Höfs always proved to be a pioneering spirit by consistently widening the horizon of his instrument. These continuous developments are encouraged by a close cooperation with other composers, who feel themselves inspired by his incomparable virtuosity and joy of experimentation. Additionally inspired by his position as “trumpet ambassador” in his home state Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany as well as the cooperation with the instrument makers Max and Heinrich Thein.

Starting in 2000, Matthias Höfs has been teaching as a Professor at Hamburg University of Music and Theatre, where he continues to inspire his students with enthusiasm, passion for his instrument, and great knowledge. In addition to his extensive concert performances as solo-trumpeter and chamber musician, Höfs recorded numerous solo-albums, as well as over twenty recordings with GERMAN BRASS.

This album contains no booklet.