Passages

I wrote Passages with several goals in mind. First, I wanted to write a concertino for solo trumpet that would display many different musical and emotional aspects of the instrument in a fairly accessible and listener-friendly style. The piece would be a series of "passages" linked together by a single motivic idea, which would undergo many transformations within the single-movement work.

I also was fascinated with the idea of pitting the solo trumpet against an unusual orchestration of four French horns, tympani, and a full body of strings.

The word "passages" has another meaning beyond the musical definition: a journey or transition from one place or one state of mind to another. It was my hope to write a work which progresses through many such states; a musical voyage in which one encounters a series of related yet widely varied adventures.

Charles Reskin

Instrumentation: solo trumpet, 4 horns, timpani, strings