Eric Ewazen’s Sonata for Trumpet and Piano: sound image and performance strategies

Statement of the problem. In modern musicology, there is an increased interest in the interpretative semantics of chamber and instrumental compositions, where timbre, texture and articulation dramaturgy are considered as autonomous carriers of artistic content. In this context, Eric Ewazen’s “Sonata for Trumpet and Piano” is an extremely illustrative example of new thinking about the wind instrument in aspect of sound imagery. It is one of the most expressive compositions of the late twentieth century repertoire – a composition where the instrument appears not only as a means of expression, but also as an artistic hero with a multifaceted emotional nature. The analysis of the sound image of the trumpet in this composition allows us to reveal the potential of the instrument in the context of modern chamber music. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. Ewazen’s work is little studied in domestic musicology, in particular in the aspect of the interpreting the image of the trumpet. For the first time, the proposed study systematizes the timbre, dynamic and performance features of the trumpet in Ewazen’s Sonata, and considers its imaginative potential through the prism of modern science on interpretation. Attention is paid not only to the analyzing the score, but also to performance strategies, which makes the work applicable for performers and teachers. The purpose of the study is to highlight the specifics of the sound image of the trumpet in Eric Ewazen’s “Sonata for Trumpet and Piano” from the standpoint of interpretation, timbre and texture analysis and performance semantics. The comprehensive approach uses in the study combining the analytical method (structural and thematic, texture and timbre analysis), comparative one (comparison with other trumpet Sonatas), elements of interpretative and performance analysis. The score, the performances recordings, interviews with the composer, as well as materials from the International Trumpet Guild were the main sources in the study. Research results and conclusion. In the “Sonata for Trumpet and Piano”, Ewazen carries out a decisive revision of the traditional idea of the trumpet as a purely fanfare instrument, endowing it with vocal, lyrical, even intimate intonation characteristics. The sound image of the trumpet in the composition develops through the opposition of registers, dynamic poles and timbre shades, forming a three-level dramaturgy developing from heroic the first movement and contemplative the second movement to playful-motor the third movement. The interaction of the trumpet and piano in the Sonata follows not an “accompaniment” model, but it is a full-fledged dialogue, in which both the instruments form a single sound field of imagery. The composer demonstrates a deep understanding of the nature of wind instruments, which allows him to achieve extremely timbre expressiveness within the tonal language, without resorting to avant garde techniques. The results of the research have not only theoretical, but also applied value for performers, teachers, as well as for further studies in the field of interpreting the contemporary wind instrumental works.