I always said to myself that if I ever had the opportunity to make a recording, it would definitely not be yet another collection of standard repertoire for the trumpet. From the very first time that I performed as a duo with Lori Gemmell, the thought stuck in my head that this unusual fusion of instruments would be my offering to the recorded world. Trumpet & harp is an unconventional pairing, yes, but we have found it to be extremely artistically rewarding. Lori and I began by compiling a repertoire of material old and new, for the most part with solo lines not originally intended for the trumpet. With the assistance of my arsenal of horns (trumpet, cornet, piccolo trumpet & flugelhorn), and some clever arranging between Lori and me, we discovered early on that this was no pipe-dream (pardon the pun), but a project that needed to be realized. As we had yet to find a piece written expressly for our duo, I called upon my good friend Jim McGrath, who crafted a miniature masterpiece which became our title track, “Divertissement.” Our other Canadian offering is by dear friend and musical legend Howard Cable, whose “Point Pelee” adapts beautifully for our duo. I have always been drawn to the chorale preludes of Dietrich Buxtehude, so thus have included two favourites in this collection which I have performed for many years with organ. My desert island composer has always been J.S. Bach, well represented with a trio of faves: “Ave Maria,” “Bist du bei mir,” and the gourgeous slow movement from his Keyboard Concerto in f minor. Paying homage to my favourite singer, Bryn Terfel, I’ve included “Ombra mai fu” from Handel’s “Serse.” Papa Haydn’s Concerto in E-flat set the bar for trumpet masterpieces, the slow movement offered here. I am fully prepared to incur the wrath of my flute-playing colleagues, but our setting of the slow movement from Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp is one of my favourite adaptations. You be the judge! I have always been a sucker for a good movie score. Our two selections by the great Ennio Morricone have been dear to my heart for years. However, I always thought he meant “Gabriel’s Trumpet.” Our French set begins with Eric Satie’s popular “Gymnopedie No. 1” which had me juggling my cornet and piccolo, then to my Stradivarius (Bach, that is) to tackle the beautifully elegaic “Meditation” from Thais. Maurice Ravel’s “Pavane” was the very first work that Lori and I performed together about 18 years ago, so it was a must for this CD. His “Piece en forme de Habanera” is my tribute to the late great Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, who so beautifully recorded this work the year before her death. Astor Piazzolla wrote some of the world’s most sensuous melodies - “Oblivion” is no exception, so it had to be flugelhorn all the way. Enrique Granados’ “Spanish Song #5” has been recorded by a variety of instruments, but Lori thought that it needed our treatment - I think she was right! We bring our collection to a gentle close with two more gems, Michel Legrand’s title track to a favourite movie from my childhood, “Brian’s Song,” and the haunting standard “Nature Boy.” Thank you so much for exploring this eclectic repertoire with us! - Larry Larson - February, 2010