CHRISTIAN JOST (b.1963): Pietà for Trumpet and Orchestra, DiesIrae for Trombone and Orchestra, LuxAeterna for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra.

Description: These three concerti are, quite obviously, separate works, each with their own internal structure, logic and form, but they are bound together by the idea of aspects of the requiem that they embody. Jost's eloquent and compelling idiom - richly romantic yet sometimes brutally dissonant and unafraid of pungently modern gestures as required - is well suited to the protests, mourning and grotesqueries of the works' subjects - a somber requiem for jazz great Chet Baker, a savage indictment of political hypocrisy and a plea for the end of the horrors of war. The trumpet concerto evokes gritty, desolate urban landscapes, enthralling, toxic drug-fueled hallucinations and an atmosphere of loneliness and lament, though it also contains its own internal Dies irae in a furious central passage. As befits a concerto in memory of a trumpet player, the soloist is given the daunting task of holding center stage throughout, and is required to transition seamlessly between ethereal delicacy, luminous melodiousness and declamatory ardor. The somber nature of DiesIrae has a different quality; more extrovert, with a snarling, satirical bite. Echoes of the more cinematic aspects of Shostakovich stand out against a sonorous, looming backdrop. The soloist vainly tries to mourn, but is increasingly exhausted and broken by crushing blows from the orchestra. The final work expresses yearning for the eternal light of the title in surprisingly gentle, pleading melodious phrases that float above subdued, darkly glittering orchestral textures. Reinhold Friedrich (trumpet), Mike Svoboda (trombone), Arno Bornkamp (sax), Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz; George Pehlivanian.