The title of this release suggests it's a collection of recordings by popular British trumpeter
Alison Balsom, and indeed, it is. What the packaging doesn't say is that it's exclusively Baroque pieces.
Balsom has recorded music of all periods, and she's in no way exclusively devoted to the Baroque nor a historically oriented trumpeter. This is less of an issue than one might think, however. Baroque music has always been central to the trumpet repertory, and the album does what it sets out to do: provide a snapshot of
Balsom's pleasing style. Hear the variety of voices she gives her trumpet in the excerpts from the opera King Arthur (tracks 1-5). Her agility and freedom in the small pieces by Bach almost suggest the influence of the player who inspired
Balsom to take up the trumpet,
Dizzy Gillespie, although there is nothing of jazz about them. The album lies somewhere between a greatest-hits collection and a group of neglected tracks. There are several excerpts from operas along with a few Baroque trumpet concerto standards. But everything is well-chosen, well-layed, and well-packaged, and for those looking for a taste of the increasingly popular
Balsom this will more than fill the bill.