Friday Listening: 7

Today marks 10 years to the day since Maurice André, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest trumpet players of all time, passed away at the age of 78. André truly was one of the biggest personalities and influences in the brass world and is, in no small part, responsible for popularising the trumpet as a solo instrument. Not only did he have a glittering solo career (particularly during the 1960s and 70s) but was responsible for markedly adding to the trumpet's volume of repertoire by performing pieces originally written for other instruments such as the violin and oboe. As well as expanding the trumpet's repertoire, André was also involved in the creation of the modern four-valve piccolo trumpet (with the Selmer company).

Listening to interviews with any of the top trumpet players today, you would be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn't list André as one of their inspirations. Maurice André produced more than 300 recordings during his career and I'm sure I will list him frequently in future listening posts, but for now here he is performing the first movement of Haydn's Trumpet Concerto: