It was an inspirational meeting both for the audience and trumpet player Rex Richardson: in April of 2013 he performed with the Classic FM Orchestra and the Angel Zabersky Trio a programme of classical and jazz music. The concert was part of the Music of America series by Cantus Firmus and the America for Bulgaria foundation. That set Rex Richardson on the road of making his childhood dream come true.
“I was impressed by the level of musicianship of the orchestra – it is a young orchestra and they really dug into the music. And Grigor [Palikarov] is a fantastic conductor! Angel [Zabersky] – an incredible jazz musician!”, Rex Richardson praises in a Jazz FM interview the Bulgarian musicians he enjoyed working with so much. And this whole experience made him realize – it was time to make his childhood dream come true. It is about something he has felt connected to for many years now – to make a classical recording of the traditional concertos, a deep love of his since he was a child. Rex Richardson looks back: “I still have memories of being 13-14-years old, when I first started buying recordings. I could not play the trumpet very well at all. But I loved the instruments and this music. I immediately wanted to make my own recordings even though I had no idea what that meant when I was so young. So this project is a childhood dream come true.”
Rex Richardson’s Sofia concert made it all possible – his partners here were, as he puts it, some of the best orchestral players in the world that he can make a recording with without having to sell his house in order to finance the project. And then, he had the support of the audience, that he involved through Kickstarter – the participants in the campaign will also help in making some artistic decisions. Thus the project turns out to be a collective effort, and music will indeed bring us together and give us joy.
The album will contain classical trumpet concertos by Hummel, Haydn, Albinoni, Tartini and Telemann. Rex Richardson will probably entitle it appropriately Foundation, as he explains that this is “the basis of all the music that has come for trumpet afterwards.”
The music on Rex Richardson’s new album is conceived in happiness and happiness it will bring to the listeners. “We were all very happy to see each other,” says Rex of meeting the musicians from the Classic FM Orchestra this week for the recording sessions in Bulgaria, and adds: “It was a very happy reunion! It is a very challenging way we are doing this project. The musicians only see the music as they are in the studio, and they are rising to the occasion. And Grigor is so organized! We start off sight-reading, and within a few minutes everything sounds quite polished. It’s very impressive!”
This is chemistry that the listeners will certainly feel. Yet, the music on this album will touch them on more than one level and will leave a lasting impression: “This music is at the roots of the classical language. This is music that anyone who has listened to any kind of classical music can relate to on a very emotional level. This is music that goes right to the heart. I want the listeners to be energized and to walk away from listening to it feeling very happy”, Rex Richardson said on Jazz FM.
It will be our pleasure very soon!
On the photo: Rex Richardson performs with the Classic FM Orchestra in Sofia, April 2013. Credit: Yanko Dimtrov.
