Coordinated by Gunnery Sgt. Chris Larios of “The President’s Own,” this Sunday’s chamber music performance features contemporary works for brass and woodwinds. The concert will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 12 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, DC. The performance is free; no tickets required. 
 
Program 
 
Here’s what Larios had to say about the performance: 

The concert is about playing music that is whimsical, funny, stylish and virtuosic for every player. I really enjoy how each piece uses certain musical conventions and expectations but also plays against them. Benjamin Britten’s Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury features three trumpet players positioned around the room, with each taking on a different character: lyrical, brilliant and heroic. By the end of the short piece these completely separate ideas come together in a very clever and satisfying way.  

György Ligeti’s Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet are endlessly fun to listen to. It sounds familiar and yet at times other-worldly. There’s never a boring moment, and each performer is given music overflowing with personality and virtuosity. 

Ernesto Lecuona’s Danza Afro-Cubanas are wonderful little character pieces. Originally for piano, they’ve been transcribed for all sorts of instrumental and vocal settings. Arranging these three for tuba quartet challenges the players and gives them a chance to show what they can do! It’s something the composer probably never considered, but I think it gives these works a distinct flavor and dimension you don’t get from any other combination. 

Suite Americana from Enrique Crespo is one of my favorite brass quintet pieces. Crespo has a way of bringing these stylish songs and dances into a “classical” quintet setting in a very clever way. This kind of virtuosic writing works particularly well for the brass quintet, with each player having lots of opportunities to show off their individual flavor and flair in the different movements.  

Icarus Wept by James Mobberley is a tour de force for trumpet. The subject matter sounds serious - Icarus’ disastrous flight too close to the sun. However, the compositional treatment is anything but. Mobberley was one of my composition teachers at University of Missouri-Kansas City, and the piece was written for my trumpet professor at UMKC. They were both virtuosos in their craft and also very sarcastically funny guys. This piece perfectly encapsulates their relationship and talents. The trumpet part has the performer swapping mutes in and out quickly, playing up and down the register, and using all kinds of articulations, dynamics and silly effects. It’s a massive challenge to play, but always a lot of fun for the performer and the audience.