The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has long been famous for its spectacular brass section. Sixteen-strong, it blows away all competitors. But within that ensemble, the brass quintet is an equally impressive subset. Comprised of Chris Martin and Tage Larsen on trumpet, Michael Mulcahy on trombone, Gene Pokorny on tuba and David Griffin on French horn, the quintet shows off its celebrated sound and power in a concert at the Barns at Wolf Trap, part of the Discovery Series. “We’re often told that the five of us sound like the whole orchestra,” Griffin said. “One reason for this is that Gene brings along his largest tuba, a double B-flat bass tuba, rather than the smaller tuba that most players use in quintets. The rest of us can ride on that cushion. The programs we plan provide for a spotlight on each member during the show so that the audience can enjoy and relate to the sound of each instrument. We enjoy playing with each other and want to show others that chamber music is fun.”
The program has something for everyone, from Bach to Bizet’s “L’Arlesienne Suite” and selections from Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.” In between are some exciting new compositions that promise to quickly become favorites in the brass repertoire. The opening arrangement of J.S. Bach’s Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major is followed by the world premiere of James Stephenson’s “Celestial Suite,” a joint commission with five movements inspired by Galileo, Newton, Hubble, Copernicus and Hawking. “We’ll play the first three movements, lasting about nine minutes,” Griffin said. “Stephenson is a friend whose work we like very much. He does not write avant-garde music. Instead, this is more melodic with jazz figures and rhythms. We’ll also play three movements from Eric Ewazen’s ‘Frostfire,’ which was composed about 10 years ago. Eric is the most successful composer of chamber music and concert pieces for brass instruments. This is one of his many commissions.”
| Onstage |
| The Discovery Series presents the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet |
| Where: The Barns at Wolf Trap |
| When 8 p.m. Friday |
| Info: $35; 877-965-3872; wolftrap.org |
Growing up in a musical family in Valparaiso, Ind., Griffin concedes he was drawn to the horn simply because there was an extra one sitting at home. In the years since, he has played with the Rochester Philharmonic and the Montreal Symphony orchestras before joining his mentor, Dale Clevenger, the principal horn for Chicago Symphony, as fourth horn of the brass ensemble.
He recently released his first solo horn CD, “For You.” The inspiration for it was to record the Sonata for Horn by Bruce Broughton, a piece he greatly admires. In addition to the piece by Broughton, an imaginative composer who writes for film and TV, Griffin’s CD includes works by Dukas, Pascal, Saint-Saens and a variety of others.
“We want the Wolf Trap audience to walk away from this concert having enjoyed what they have heard and learned about five brass instruments,” he said. “This valid chamber group repertoire is not so old as the string repertoire, but it covers a great variety of music that’s certain to please everyone.”
