''Heimdall's Trumpet'' is a concerto for trumpet and orchestra by the American composer
Christopher Rouse. It was commissioned by the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...
for its principal trumpeter
Christopher Martin. The piece was completed January 21, 2012 and premiered December 20, 2012 at
Symphony Center in Chicago.
[ Rouse, Christopher]
Heimdall's Trumpet: Program Note by the Composer
2012. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
Composition
Title
The title is derived from the
god Heimdallr
In Norse mythology, Heimdall (from Old Norse Heimdallr) is a god who keeps watch for invaders and the onset of Ragnarök from his dwelling Himinbjörg, where the burning rainbow bridge Bifröst meets the sky. He is attested as possessing forekno ...
of
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...
, whose call on the
Gjallarhorn
In Norse mythology, Gjallarhorn (Old Norse: ; "hollering horn"Orchard (1997:57). or "the loud sounding horn"Simek (2007:110).) is a horn associated with the god Heimdallr and the wise being MĂmir. The sound of Heimdallr's horn will herald th ...
was to announce the apocalyptic events of
Ragnarök
In Norse mythology, (; non, Ragnarǫk) is a series of events, including a great battle, foretelling the death of numerous great figures (including the gods Odin, Thor, Týr, Freyr, Heimdallr, and Loki), natural disasters, and the submers ...
("Fate of the Gods").
The events of Ragnarök were also famously depicted musically in
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
's opera ''
Götterdämmerung'', last of his four-opera cycle ''
Der Ring des Nibelungen''. Rouse had previously visited similar thematic material with his 1997 percussion concerto ''
Der gerettete Alberich'', which chronicles the exploits of the villainous dwarf
Alberich following the destruction of
Valhalla.
Structure
''Heimdall's Trumpet'' is composed in four connected movements. A performance of the work lasts approximately 22 minutes. In the score program notes, Rouse wrote:
Instrumentation
The piece is scored for solo trumpet and orchestra comprising three
flutes (third doubling on
piccolo
The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...
), three oboes, three clarinets, three bassoons (third doubling on
contrabassoon
The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences.
Differences from the bassoon
The reed is consi ...
), four French horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba,
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...
,
timpani
Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...
, percussion (three players), and
strings
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
(violins I & II, violas,
violoncellos, and double basses).
Reception
Reviewing the world premiere, music critic John von Rhein of the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' highly lauded the concerto as "bolster
ngRouse's reputation as one of the most compelling American composers around" and noted, "The musical style melds the pile-driver sonorities and manic accumulation of rhythmic energy of Rouse's earlier manner with the more consonant calm of his recent pieces. The work is slow to take off, but once it does, it makes you want to hold on to the roller coaster and enjoy the ride." Rhein also praised the trumpet and orchestral writing, adding, "Rouse's handling of the orchestra, right up to a screaming mass plunge off the musical cliff at the very end (abruptly followed by ominous silence), is nothing if not individual."
Lawrence A. Johnson of the ''Chicago Classical Review'' called the piece "another Rouse success" and wrote, "''Heimdall’s Trumpet'' is among the finest of Rouse’s works. Spiced with the composer’s usual ear for percussive coloring and rhythmic insistence, and scored with characteristic ingenuity and audacity with plenty of opportunities for the soloist, this work should find a wide audience (for those hardy trumpeters who can handle its tortuous demands)."
References
Sources
*
{{Italic title
Concertos by Christopher Rouse
2012 compositions
Rouse
Rouse may refer to:
Places
* Rouse, California, United States, a census-designated place
* Rouse, Wisconsin, United States, an unincorporated community
* Rouses Point, New York, United States, a village
* Rouse Islands, Antarctica
* Cape Rouse, An ...
21st-century classical music
Music commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Norse mythology in music