To the horizon

You compose to preserve the deepest emotions associated with being human, said Aaron Copland. The composer wrote his Symphony No. 3 between 1944 and 1946, on the threshold of the end of the war. He did not intend to comment on political events. He wanted to create an open, understandable work, combining American melody with European form. In the final movement, he included a quote from his own Fanfare for the Common Man – a piece written on commission for the Cincinnati orchestra in 1942, dedicated to all those who would never appear on the front pages of newspapers.

Symphony No. 3 is the culmination of the evening – monumental, in four movements, with a significant role for the brass section. But the first two pieces already show how brass can be much more than just an addition.

Centennial Horizon by Kevin McKee is a work for trumpet and orchestra written in the 21st century, but firmly rooted in American tradition – with broad phrases, straightforward narrative, and distinct drama. McKee, being an instrumentalist himself, writes music that is technically comfortable yet interpretively demanding. The title refers to the state of Colorado and the hundredth anniversary of its admission to the Union. Still, the piece is neither an illustration nor a symphonic poem – it is a contemporary instrumental concerto.

Ewa Fabiańska-Jelińska's Concerto for Two Trombones and Orchestra was composed in 2022 with specific performers in mind: Wojciech Jeliński and Mateusz Kupski. The composer, known for skillfully blending classical and jazz elements, wrote a piece with a clear form in which the two trombones engage in a dialogue – both rhythmic and melodic – with the active participation of the orchestra.

Three pieces, three different aesthetics, one common denominator: brass in a central role, but not a flashy one – somewhat conscious, form-building, narratively driven. It is a concert not so much about the sound of the instrument, but about what can be expressed through it.