Swiss composer and saxophonist Daniel Schnyder’s dedication to wind instruments is fully documented on the 2004 recording, ‘Brass’. Three of the New York-based musician’s most important works for wind soloists are featured: the Trumpet Concerto, performed by Reinhold Friedrich, one of the leading classical trumpeters of our time, Subzero with bass trombonist David Taylor, and Little Songbook in which Schnyder himself takes the leading role.

Also on hand are members of New York’s famous brass quintet, Manhattan Brass featuring jazz trumpeter Lew Soloff among its ranks. Orchestral accompaniment is provided by the NDR Radio Philharmonic and (on Subzero) the Absolute Ensemble, both conducted by Kristjan Järvi. The latter, a celebrated chamber band, was co-founded by Järvi in New York in 1993 when he was a piano student at the Manhattan School of Music.

Well-aware of the challenges of Schnyder’s Trumpet Concerto, which reflects the wide possibilities of the modern trumpet, Reinhold Friedrich is able to transform his instrument into a global voice, combining classical finesse with the delicate phrasing of jazz. The Concerto’s middle movement is written for flugelhorn.