Orchestra concertos that feature five brass players are very, very rarely performed, so it was an extra special occasion when the Vancouver Symphony opened its season with Salvador Brotons’ “Brass Quintet Concerto.” Featuring the Spanish Brass ensemble as guest artists, this unusual musical concoction expressed an expansive sonic range that was utterly delightful. Their playing resonated well with the audience at Skyview Concert Hall on September 28, and they added two encores to make the evening even more memorable.
Brotons wrote his concerto for the Spanish Brass, which is one of the premiere brass ensembles in Europe. Over the past 35 years, the Spanish Brass (trumpeters Carlos Benetó and Juanjo Serna, hornist Manolo Pérez, trombonist Indalecio Bonet, and tubist Sergio Finca) have won international awards and highlighted 32 recordings. They maintain a rigorous schedule that spans the globe with tours in France, South Korea, and the USA this year.
Originally written for piano and brass quintet in 2013, Brotons revised the “Brass Quintet Concerto” for symphonic band in 2015 finally for orchestra in 2019. Using their virtuosic chops, the Spanish Brass handled all of the technical challenges with gusto. The piece began with a stream of notes as if the ensemble was chattering with each other. Each musician got a tricky solo and handled it with gusto. The second movement featured a plaintive trumpet solo that was augmented gently by the orchestra. A trombone solo evoked a sense of climbing that was joined by all forces, building a huge swell of sound that leveled out into a beautiful melody. After a brief solo from concertmaster Eva Richey, the movement finished with crystalline smoothness. The third movement picked up the tempo, and had a curious passage for bassoon and brass. Another lovely melody surfaced before the piece arrived at a satisfying finale.
Enthusiastic applause and a standing ovation brought the Spanish Brass back to center stage for a couple of encores. The first was a flamenco-infused “De Cai” by Pascual Piqueras. The second was Duke Ellington’s “Caravan” in an arrangement by Juan Tizol and Carlos Benetó. It had a devilish part for tuba with constant jumps that were at least one octave. Finca made that look easy-peasy.
A bit of a lighting problem delayed the start of Dvořák’s “Symphony No. 8,” but when it was corrected, concertgoers chuckled a bit and applauded the stage hand(s). Conducting from memory, Brotons chose excellent tempi and elicited lots of dynamic contrasts from the orchestra. The violins scurried through the fast section of the first movement, and the building of tension in the second movement highlighted the second. The folksy waltz of the third movement evoked the Bohemian spirit, and the fourth movement ended with a blaze of glory. But there were intonation problems and some missed notes that muddied up the waters.
The concert opened with a swirl of bright colors from “Argentum,” which British composer Dani Howard wrote in 2017 for the silver anniversary of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the UK’s Classic FM radio station. Even though it lasts only a handful of minutes, “Argentum” covers a lot of territory with punchy exchanges between the brass and the strings. Anchored periodically by blasts from Principal Tuba Mark Vehrencamp, the piece delightfully sped to an impressively emphatic ending.
The orchestra is fortunate to be helmed by Brotons who has such excellent talent for both composition and conducting. It’s an unusual combination that the VSO can be very proud of. This fall marks the 34th season that Brotons has led the orchestra, and his uncanny ability to transmit his boundless energy and joy of music-making resonates terrifically with musicians and the audience. So, there are many concert ahead to look forward to.
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