Bridge - Trumpet Concerto Nr.1 op.47

Bridge - Trumpet Concerto Nr.1 op.47 ("Bridge was premiered in Göteborg April 29, 1999, by Håkan Hardenberger/trumpet, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Neeme Järvi/conductor. After the premiere Mr Järvi immediately decided to perform the piece the following week on a tour with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra to England. The performance took place in Birmingham Concert Hall. One year later Järvi performed Bridge four times together with Hardenberger and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Bridge has been performed and broadcasted numerous of times both in Europe and in USA. The piece was selected to be played at the Nordic Music Days 2000 in Helsinki, Finland by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and in 2002 Bridge was selected for ASCAP Awards in USA. Bridge has been on tour several times. In 2001 Hardenberger, Malmö Symphony Orchestra and B. Tommy Andersson performed Bridge on tour to Scotland and during spring 2003 Bridge was on tour to Germany for 13 performances with Hardenberger, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Leif Segerstam. The tour ended with a successful performance in Philharmonie in Berlin. Bridge is devided into three larger parts which are held together with two solo trumpet cadenzas, one lyric and one dramatic. The first part is held in a moderato tempo, the second moves very slowly and the third part is written in presto. During the first two minutes, the soloist challenges all the instrumental groups in the orchestra one by one and after this section the piece starts to grow in larger musical forms. The composer says: "Håkan Hardenbergers remarkable trumpet sound and musicality has been a great inspiration to me during my work with Bridge." The solopart contains a musical cipher from Håkan Hardenbergers name.")