ON TRACK Nine Grand Solos de Concert Ryan Gardner Trumpet Charity Wicks Piano
ON TRACK Nine Grand Solos de Concert 1. Solo de Concert.................................. Georges Hüe 7:47 Concertino......................................... Henri Senée 2. I. Introduction 3. II. Romance 4. III. Ballet 4:10 4:30 3:08 5. Morceau de Concours........................ Augustin Savard 6. Solo de Trompette Chromatique en Fa........ Camille Erlanger 8:28 6:45 7. Fantaisie......................................... Francis Thomé 8. Andante et Allegretto......................... Guillaume Balay 9. Andante et Allegro...............................J. Guy Ropartz 6:34 4:16 5:53 10. Petite Pièce Concertante...................... Guillaume Balay 11. Polonaise de Concert for 2 Trumpets.............Paul Rougnon 3:37 6:08 2
Dr. Ryan Gardner Dr. Ryan Gardner is the trumpet professor at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he teaches trumpet and directs the Trumpet Ensembles. He is the recipient of the Oklahoma State University s Junior Faculty Award and received the 2014 Distinguished Professor of Music Award sponsored by the First Lady of Oklahoma State. Originally from Santa Monica, California, he began studies with Paul Salvo and Boyde Hood. Dr. Gardner received his Bachelor of Music from the Eastman School of Music with highest distinction having studied with Jim Thompson. His Master of Music is from Rice University - Shepherd School of Music, where he was under the tutelage of Marie Speziale. His Doctor of Musical Arts is from the Manhattan School of Music. While in New York, he worked with former principal trumpeter of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Mark Gould, and the former second trumpet player of the New York Philharmonic, Vincent Penzarella. Dr. Gardner's thesis is based on Penzarella's pedagogical techniques and philosophies, which include innovative ideas on breathing, air usage, and brass playing, as well as performance psychology. Dr. Gardner has been teaching students for more than a decade. His students have been accepted on scholarship into distinguished graduate programs and elite summer festivals. At the 2012, 2013, and 2014 International Trumpet Guild Conferences, Oklahoma State University's Trumpet Ensemble received rave reviews and standing ovations for their performances. Dr. Gardner s students have achieved success at the regional, national and international levels, most recently winning the 2014 National Trumpet Competition Trumpet Ensemble Division as well as International Trumpet Guild Scholarship awards. As an orchestral performer, Dr. Gardner has played with the Los Angeles and Rochester Philharmonics; Honolulu, Charleston, and Tulsa Symphonies; Artosphere Festival Orchestra; Aldeburgh Festival Britten-Pears Orchestra in England; and Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland. Dr. Gardner is an avid chamber musician, playing with the Three-Fifths trio; Oklahoma State University Brass Trio; Oklahoma State University, Eastman, Rochester Philharmonic, and Houston Symphony Brass Quintets; as well as concerts with the new music ensembles Alarm Will Sound and Crash Ensemble. Dr. Gardner has also been privileged to work with artists such as Ray Charles, Doc Severinson, Canadian Brass, Allen Vizzutti, Wayne Bergeron, and Michael Tillson-Thomas. Dr. Gardner is the Artist Coordinator for Music for Autism and a Bach Performing Artist and Clinician. He has presented clinics at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic, the National Association of Wind and Percussion Instructors Convention, the College Music Society National Conference, and at the International Trumpet Guild Conferences. He has recorded with Naxos, Mark Records, and BX Entertainment, and continues to perform, teach, and provide master classes and lectures internationally. 3
Charity Wicks Charity Wicks is a NYC-based pianist who is highly lauded for her versatility, as she is at ease with a wide range of repertory from solo works and chamber music to contemporary opera and musical theater. She is an active collaborative artist and chamber musician, having played numerous concerts in the New York metropolitan area and throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico, including the Wall to Wall Bach Festival at Symphony Space. In addition to her many performances and recitals in and around New York City, Charity has given special performances at the Boston Early Music Festival, The Greenwich Music Festival in Greenwich, Connecticut, and The Tappan Zee Music Festival in Tarrytown, New York. She has performed at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, and at The Parnassos International Concert Season in Monterrey, Mexico, as well as performances at the Amali Coast Music Festival in Italy. She frequently concertizes throughout the country with many of the nations top players at various concert halls and universities. She holds a BM in piano and MM in chamber music from Temple University, and a DMA from The Manhattan School of Music in instrumental accompanying. Credits Producer and Recording Engineer: Ryan Streber, Oktaven Studios Editing and Mastering: Ryan Streber, Oktaven Studios Graphic Design: MarkArt: Anthony Melice Photography: Bruce Waterield and Brian Hatton Recorded: August 2-4, 2012 at Oktaven Studios, Yonkers, New York I would like to thank my amazing family for their continuous love and understanding, Oklahoma State University for supporting this endeavor and my students, past, present and future who inspire me every day. 4
Program Notes Solo de Concert Georges Hüe (1858-1948) After encouragement from Charles Gounod, Georges Hüe studied organ with César Franck and later began to take an interest in composition. He won the Prix de Rome for his cantata Médée and spent most of his compositional life focusing on vocal music. Solo de Concert, written in 1900, is one of his diversions from the vocal repertoire. While his writing is fairly traditional for this time, Hüe does take moments in which he uses added note harmonies. He opens with a dark robust conversation between trumpet and piano and then moves to a peaceful melodious section. This is followed by a fast triplemeter section, which lourishes to the end. Concertino Henri Senée Well known for his conducting and compositions for military bands, Henri Senée also wrote some exceptional pieces for cornet including his Concertino. Written in three movements, Introduction, Romance and Ballet, Senée has truly written a comprehensive work allowing the trumpeter an opportunity to highlight lashy technique particularly in the irst and third movements as well as the ability to sing through the soaring melodies provided in the second movement. Morceau de Concours A. Savard (Marie Emmanuel Augustin Savard (1861-1942)) A student of Jules Massenet, Savard enjoyed an eclectic career and won the Prix de Rome. His style features great use of modes and chromaticism. Used as the Paris Conservatory contest piece in 1903, Savard s Morceau de Concours opens with a slow cadenza-like section followed by a sweet melody in a moderate tempo. The piece ends in a vivace tempo showcasing technique, articulation and multiple tonguing. Solo de Trompette Chromatique en Fa Camille Erlanger (1863-1919) Camille Erlanger was best known as a French opera composer and received the Prix de Rome for his cantata Velléda. His Solo de Trompette Chormatique en Fa was originally written for a chromatic trumpet in F in honor of Théodore Dubois, Director of the Paris Conservatory during his studies. This piece opens with a soft lyrical section showcasing complex harmonies and chromaticism. The opening is in 5/4 and builds in both dynamics and range before slowing, softening and moving to the low register. A jubilant march-like section follows juxtaposing duple and triple rhythms and the work ends with a grand fanfare. 5
Fantaisie Franis Thomé (1850-1909) Francis Thomé was a well-accomplished pianist and composer having written for several genres of music. His Fantaisie is a Romantic work dedicated to Professor Jean-Joseph Mellet, a student of Jean-Baptiste Arban. Used as the contest piece in 1902, the work incorporates majestic themes, beautiful melodies and virtuosic material. It is important to note that this is one of the irst pieces of this era to be written for either cornet or trumpet. Andante et Allegretto Guillaume Balay (1871-1943) A cornettist and bandleader with the French military, Balay was also a proliic composer having composed chamber music, band music and solo music for wind instruments. His cornet solos have become standard literature. His Andante et Allegretto begins with a lyrical 12/8 section that offers sweet melodies that are harmonically intriguing and eventually ornamented. The Allegretto is in duple meter and feels light with lourishes of sixteenth notes and sextuplets. Andante et Allegro J. Guy Ropartz (1863-1955) Having studied with Théodore Dubois and Jules Massenet at the Paris Conservatory, Ropartz went on to a successful career as a composer, conductor and educator. His writing is proliic having composed symphonies, string sonatas and quartets as well as a number of stage and choral works. Ropartz s music was inluenced by folklore and culture and his writing is quite thematic. His Andante et Allegro features an ABAB form and allows the performer to create expressive lines while also showcasing technique and articulation. Petite Pièce Concertante Guillaume Balay (1871-1943) Also a respected teacher, Balay published his own cornet method in addition to writing accessible literature for younger cornetists. His Petite Pièce Concertante is a ine example of this. The opening features lyricism, ornamentation, and both chordal and scalar writing. The piece ends with a March, which employs light articulation, large interval leaps and excellent dynamic control. Polonaise de Concert for 2 Trumpets Paul Rougnon (1846-1934) Having studied piano and composition at the Paris Conservatory, Rougnon became well known as a composer and was later named a professor at the Conservatory at age 27. This afforded him the opportunity to write for a vast array of instruments. His Polonaise de Concert is a cornet-style duet that offers both players opportunities to have solo moments yet still providing moments of blend and well-executed ensemble playing. 6