Fiala: Divertimento for Keyed Trumpet

Josef Fiala (Joseph Fiala) (3 February 1748 – 31 July 1816), was a composer, oboist, viola da gamba virtuoso, cellist, and pedagogue. Fiala wrote a concerto for viola da gamba, a concerto in B-flat major for oboe and orchestra, a divertimento for Keyed Trumpet and Orchestra, various dances, chamber compositions and symphonies.

The Divertimento
Fiala must have written this piece for a bohemian virtuoso, since the performing material (which today in Prague) came from the library of the castle chapel of Kuks in northern Bohemia. The solo instrument has a moderate range from g to e'' (sounding a sharp to f sharp) and is fully chromatic from b (sounding c sharp) upwards. The pieces range corresponds most closely with that of Kozeluch's Sinfonia concertante (1798, now published by Spaeth & Schmid, no. 50309) Worthy of note is the cadenza, with is written out towards the end of the first movement. Fiala's cadenza contains only 26 notes. This simplicity might perhaps give a hint to today's soloists to show restraint in the appropriate place when performing the Haydn concerto ... (Prof. Dr. Edward H. Tarr, Karlsruhe University of music October 2004 / Easter 2009)


Prof. Markus Würsch
The Swiss trumpet virtuoso Markus Würsch was born in 1955 in Emmetten, Nidwalden in the spectacularly scenic region of lake Lucerne. He studied trumpet and brass ensemble conducting at the Conservatoire in Zurich and Lucerne where he received his degree with honours. He won the coveted Migros competition, and subsequently received a grant which enabled him to spend a year at the Conservatoire Nationale Supérieur in Paris. He also spent time studying with Charles Geyer at the Eastman School of Music (Rochester NY), with Vincent Cichowicz at Northwestern University of Chicago, and with Adolphe Herseth (principal trumpet of Chicago Symphony Orchestra). In 1981 Markus won the audition for principal trumpet with the Tonhalle Orchestra, Zurich, holding this prestigious post for fourteen years. In 1995, he spent a year studying at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, London. There he studied under Michael Laird and Crispian-Steele Perkins (Baroque-Trumpet), Jeremy West (Cornetto) and Phillip Jones (Ensemble Direction). He has performed as soloist at the Lucerne International Festival and with the Tonhalle Orchestra.
With the support of the Swiss National Fund and the Bern University of the Arts, Markus conducted extensive research and subsequently developed a reconstruction of a 19th century keyed trumpet, in collaboration with the instrument maker Konrad Burri. The original instrument, the focus of the research, was found in the private collection of Karl Burri, Zimmerwald, near Bern. With this reconstructed instrument, Markus went on to perform and produce a CD recording of the trumpet concertos of Joseph Haydn and Nepumuk Hummel in June 2013.
For some years now, he performs almost exclusively on historical instruments. He frequently appears with the ensembles “La Cetra” and I Barocchisti (RSI, Italian Swiss Radio) and continues to interpret the Haydn and Hummel trumpet concertos as soloist on the keyed trumpet.
Markus Würsch is professor of Modern, Natural and Romantic trumpet at Bern University of the Arts, and at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

Patricia Ulrich
The pianist Patricia Ulrich spent her early years in Wollerau, Switzerland. After completing her general education (Matura), she began her musical studies at the Conservatory of Lucerne with Yvonne Lang, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Music in 2008. She continued her studies in Lucerne and in 2010 received a Masters Degree in Performance with distinction under Konstantin Lifschitz. In 2013 she went on to receive an additional Masters Degree in Chamber Music under Edward Rushton. She has attended master classes with Andrei Gavrilov, Geoffrey Douglas Madge, and with Juliane Banse with a concentration in Duo Performance. In addition to her present duties as accompanist at Bern University of the Arts and at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, she is a highly sought after accompanist for master classes and competitions. An active chamber musician, Patricia Ulrich also appears regularly with orchestras such as the 21st Century Orchestra (Lucerne) and the Symphony Orchestra of Lucerne.

Recorded at Hochschule der Kuenste Bern, 2014.
Camera: Juerg and Peter Rufer
Editing: Juerg Rufer
Audio Engineering: Magnon Recording, Paul Niederberger

© 2014, Markus Wuersch and Patricia Ulrich
A Dingo and Fox Production
www.dingoandfox.ch
For further information please contact:
Bern University of the Arts
www.hkb.bfh.ch
markus.wuersch(at)hkb.bfh.ch
markus.wuersch(at)gmail.com
www.markuswuersch.ch