Rolf Smedvig, born in Seattle, made his debut with that city's Symphony Orchestra at the age of 13, and went on very quickly to become first sub-principal, then principal trumpet with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Now an established soloist he has come to Glasgow to make his first international recording and very impressive it is. The fluent musicality and easy style of phrasing are what strike the ear first and his imaginative touches too: when he immediately repeats the main rondo idea in the finale of Haydn's Concerto he subtly alters the slurring, while the cadenza hardly sounds like bravura, as the cascade of notes ripples so readily from his instrument. In the first movement of the Hummel, his easy, laid-back rhythmic style is particularly engaging in the 'dotted rhythms' of the first movement's catchy lyrical idea. The slow movements of both works produce a seamless line of lovely tone and in the finales the virtuosity is unostentatious, in the obvious total command of every technical obstacle.
The accompaniments by the Scottish Chamber Orchestra under Jahja Ling are comparably elegant and smooth, the effect accentuated by the resonant acoustic of City Hall Glasgow, which brings an element almost of blandness to the orchestral tuttis, especially in the Haydn. A comparison with Hardenberger (Philips) is obviously called for: his playing has the same assurance, but is that bit more exciting; somehow his virtuosity has you pricking up your ears more, the effect joyfully extrovert, with certainly more glitter. But then he plays the Hummel Concerto in the key of E major, which undoubtedly adds to its aural brilliance. What makes Smedvig's concert especially attractive is the superb performance of Tartini's D major Concerto (the original is a violin concerto in E major). This entirely winning work sounds marvellous here, and for all the world seems as if it was conceived for trumpet. Bellini's early two-movement Oboe Concerto, laid out like an operatic aria, is also most engagingly presented in this transcription. All in all a most rewarding and entertaining concert, and with such warm, rich sound, very easy to sit back and enjoy.'