Royal Fireworks Alison Balsom

• George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759): Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351:
• 1 Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351: I. Overture (Adagio) 02:13
• 2 Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351: II. Allegro - Lentement - Allegro 05:14
• 3 Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351: III. Bourrée 01:03
• 4 Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351: IV. La Paix (Largo alla siciliana) 03:41
• 5 Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351: V. La Réjouissance 01:27
• 6 Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351: VI. Minuet 1 00:45
• 7 Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351: VII. Minuet 2 01:40
• Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695): Trumpet Sonata in D Major, Z. 850:
• 8 Purcell: Trumpet Sonata in D Major, Z. 850: I. Allegro 01:16
• 9 Purcell: Trumpet Sonata in D Major, Z. 850: II. Adagio 01:52
• 10 Purcell: Trumpet Sonata in D Major, Z. 850: III. Allegro 02:25
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750):
• 11 Bach, JS / Arr. Wright: Cantata No. 147, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben, BWV147: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring 03:02
• Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 - 1767): Trumpet Concerto, TWV 51:D7:
• 12 Telemann: Trumpet Concerto, TWV 51:D7: I. Adagio 02:08
• 13 Telemann: Trumpet Concerto, TWV 51:D7: II. Allegro 01:55
• 14 Telemann: Trumpet Concerto, TWV 51:D7: III. Grave 01:57
• 15 Telemann: Trumpet Concerto, TWV 51:D7: IV. Allegro 01:43
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248:
• 16 Bach, JS / Arr. Wright : Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248, Pt. 1: No. 1, Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die Tage 03:09
• 17 Bach, JS / Arr. Wright : Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248, Pt. 1: No. 9, Ach, mein herzliebes Jesulein 01:21
• 18 Bach, JS / Arr. Wright: Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248, Pt. 6: No. 1, Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben 04:40
• 19 Bach, JS / Arr. Wright: Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248, Pt. 2: No. 1, Sinfonia in G Major, Pastorale Sinfonia 02:08
• 20 Bach, JS / Arr. Wright: Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248, Pt. 3: No. 1, Herrscher des Himmels 01:47
• 21 Bach, JS / Arr. Wright: Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248, Pt. 1: No. 5, Wie soll ich dich empfangen 01:15
• 22 ,Bach, JS / Arr. Wright: Weihnachtsoratorium, BWV 248, Pt. 6: No. 11, Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen 03:10
• Henry Purcell: Funeral Sentences for the Death of Queen Mary, Z. 27:
• 23 Purcell: Funeral Sentences for the Death of Queen Mary, Z. 27: I. March 01:59
• 24 Purcell: Funeral Sentences for the Death of Queen Mary, Z. 27: VI. "Thou Knowest Lord" 01:58
• 25 Purcell: Funeral Sentences for the Death of Queen Mary, Z. 27: III. Canzona 01:50
• 26 Purcell: Funeral Sentences for the Death of Queen Mary, Z. 27: VII. March 01:13
• Total Runtime 56:51

Info for Royal Fireworks

Royal Fireworks, a collection of Baroque masterpieces and new arrangements performed with the Balsom Ensemble (her hand-picked ensemble of period instrument specialists), will be Balsom’s 13th solo release for Warner Classics and her first since 2016’s Jubilo. The album sees her perform on the natural (valveless) trumpet and features concertos and orchestral masterpieces by Handel, JS Bach, Telemann and Purcell. A pioneer of adapting works written for other solo instruments, Balsom is committed to demonstrating the versatility of the trumpet and will feature three new orchestrations by arranger Simon Wright on the album.

‘I’ve been making recordings for almost 20 years and this has been by far the most enjoyable recording experience I’ve had,’ Balsom comments. ‘The music is full of utter joy and magic, the versions we play are often new, and in some cases quite maverick. The thrill of recording with some of the greatest artists around, all of us on Baroque instruments, who happen to also be my good friends, has been a privilege. I hope the pleasure we got from playing this music comes across on the album.’

Alison Balsom, trumpet
Balsom Ensemble
Simon Wright, conductor

Alison Balsom
has cemented an international reputation as one of classical music’s great ambassadors. She has been honoured with numerous awards by Classic FM, Gramophone and Echo Klassik and in 2009 she became the first ever Briton to be crowned “Female Artist of the Year” at the Classical BRITs. In September 2009 Alison headlined classical music’s most celebrated concert – The Last Night of the BBC Proms – which reached its biggest ever global audience of an estimated 150 million.

Recent and upcoming highlights include appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi. Alison also looks forward to embarking on major international tours with I Musici di Roma, the Scottish Ensemble and Alison’s own Balsom Ensemble in 10/11 and beyond.

While represented by the Young Concert Artists Trust, Alison caught the ear of EMI Classics with whom she records exclusively. Her internationally celebrated Bach Trumpet and Organ disc of 2005 was quickly followed by the Caprice album which won her further critical acclaim. Her third album, featuring the great pillars of the trumpet repertoire, the concertos of Haydn and Hummel, firmly established her as the world's leading trumpeter. Her eagerly awaited follow up album which was released in autumn 2010 to great critical acclaim includes a selection of Italian Baroque Concertos

Under the auspices of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme, Alison performed at the Wigmore Hall and with all of the BBC orchestras.

Alison studied trumpet at the Guildhall School of Music, the Paris Conservatoire, and with Håkan Hardenberger. She was previously a member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Alison was a concerto finalist in the BBC Young Musician competition in 1998 and received the Feeling Musique Prize for quality of sound in the 4th Maurice André International Trumpet Competition. She is Visiting Professor of Trumpet to the Guildhall School of Music. Alison performs a wide range of recital and concerto repertoire, from Albinoni to Zimmermann and performs on both modern and baroque trumpets.

Booklet for Royal Fireworks