On November 10th the Halifax based Leaf Music released a CD that features the marvelous trumpet player Adam Zinatelli. Called Fifteen Feet Closer to the Sky this recording showcases premiere recordings of new works for trumpet that have been written specifically for Zinatelli or for his friends.
Adam Zinatelli is currently principal trumpet with the Calgary Philharmonic, a position he has had since 2009. He has also been guest Principal trumpet with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Les Violin du Roy, and is a founding member of the renowned Canadian National Brass
All of the music on this recording is completely new, and has never been recorded before. The idea of commissioning new works for trumpet is something that Zinatelli is very passionate about. “What I wanted to do for the last ten or fifteen years… was to always try to commission new music from composers that I found a connection with….either personally or through their music. Along with some like-minded friends we were all sort of adding piece meal to our repertoire and playing the pieces that each of us were commissioning as well.” Out of these commissions either from Zinatell or his friends “Fifteen feet Closer to Sky” was born.
The CD consists of music for solo trumpet, as well as music for trumpet duo and trio. Zinatelli is joined by his friends Aaron Hodgson who is Professor of Trumpet at The University of Western Ontario, and Miranda Cairns who is Zinatelli’s colleague in the Calgary Philharmonic playing second with Zinatelli.
“Fifteen Feet Closer to the Sky” runs the gamut of all of the possibilities of tone colors, muted sounds and expressive possibilities that the trumpet is capable of. Zinatelli had some very clear goals when he recoded the CD. As he explains “I hope audiences enjoy it…I think it’s a really beautiful sounding album. I hope a lot of people change their perception of the trumpet. I think a lot of people think of it as a very aggressive, perfunctory instrument….fanfares, and loud things, and that what it’s for. But I really believe that the trumpet’s expressive range is unsurpassed by any other instrument. The depth of sound and the nuance of expression makes for a really unique palate. It has power and edge yes…but it can also have incredible softness and glow. It can be as virtuosic, as beautiful as expressive as emotional as any other instrument can be.”
In regards to trumpet players wanting to explore literature, Zinatelli hopes that this recording will encourage players to enlarge their repertoire and perform these amazing new compositions. “I just want trumpet players to be excited to play this music. All of this music is available now except for one piece. If you are in University you could put this on your recital this year.”
“Fifteen Feet Closer to Sky” is a wonderful new CD for anyone who is interested in exploring new music and new listening experiences. The recording is beautifully played by Zinatelli, both from an expressive standpoint but also from a virtuosic standpoint. Adding to this, the people at Leaf Music have done a remarkable job of engineering a recording that is really very very special.
For more details visit Adam Zinatelli’s website of Leaf Music