Albares. Latin American Trumpet Concertos
Pacho Flores (b. 1981)
Albares
Roberto Sierra (b. 1953)
Salseando
Gabriela Ortiz (b. 1964)
Altar de bronce
Pacho Flores (trumpets), Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra / Domingo Hindoyan
rec. 2025, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, UK
Reviewed as lossless download
Onyx 4272 [66]

Recently I reviewed a Royal Liverpool Philharmonic recording of Chinese orchestral works, and here they are with a collection of Latin American works: three trumpet concertos, one composed by the soloist. Pacho Flores is Principal Trumpet of the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, a winner of the Maurice André Competition and has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon. I have to admit to not having been aware of him before this release, though my knowledge of currently active trumpet soloists doesn’t really extend much beyond Alison Balsom and Håkan Hardenberger.

Flores’s own composition is for flugelhorns – he plays three different pitched instruments across the three movements – and what is described, in Spanish, as a symphonic band. This normally indicates an ensemble with few or no strings, but I’m pretty sure I hear quite a few violins (at the very least). It is a very lyrical work, underpinned by South American rhythms and folk music, with something of a cocktail lounge feel to a lot of it. It’s not the most distinctive work in the world, but it is certainly enjoyable.

I was aware of Puerto Rican composer Roberto Sierra through a few reviews published here, but I don’t think I’d actually heard any of his music before. His Latin dance-infused concerto is, by a long  way, the best of the three works. Each of the three movements has an individual character, and is internally consistent, something which cannot be said of the Ortiz (as you will read in the next paragraph). The first movement, Salseado, is a dialogue between soloist and various sections of the orchestra, the second, Tempo di Bolero, a gloriously sensuous slow dance and the finale, Veloz, a dazzling virtuoso piece. If I understand the booklet notes correctly, contributed by Flores, he switches between four instruments throughout the work: trumpet, cornet, piccolo cornet and flugelhorn. I really enjoyed this and will certainly seek out more of Sierra’s works.

The two movement concerto by Mexican-born Gabriela Ortiz is the hardest going of the three works, both for the soloist in the great demand placed on him, but also on the listener, the second movement particularly. For some time, the first movement proceeds gently and melodically, with birdsong motifs provided by the flutes. Around halfway through the twelve minute movement, there is a huge climax and rhythms not unlike those of Rite of Spring emerge. The solo writing becomes more agitated, but the orchestral accompaniment remains relatively consonant. The second movement begins with a repeat of the rising sequence played by Flores that began the work, and continues with a tender cadenza (if that is the correct term for something that comes at the start). When the orchestra returns, the mood changes, and the music becomes more staccato, percussive and dissonant. There is certainly a Latin rhythm underlying it, but it’s as though a samba band has fallen down a hill and is still trying to play while rolling down the slope. If what I’ve described sounds very episodic and bitty, that how it sounded to me. A lot of it was quite attractive, but there seemed to be too many disparate and disconnected parts to be entirely satisfying.

Pacho Flores is clearly a very talented trumpeter, with a gorgeous burnished tone. He handles the various challenges in these three works with ease. The RLPO plays very well, but I think Flores’s own orchestra might have a little more Latin sway to it in places. The sound quality is good, and doesn’t spotlight the soloist too excessively.

While this was a little outside my normal listening, I enjoyed it, especially the Sierra, which will be a work I will return to regularly. While Flores won’t displace Alison Balsom from the top of my trumpet tree, he is clearly a very fine musician. I do regret that he didn’t find room, at the expense of the Ortiz, for the concerto written for him by Arturo Márquez, of which there is a performance on YouTube, conducted by Domingo Hindoyan; it is even better than the Sierra.

David Barker

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