Audio Review: The Lightning Fields by Jason Bergman

The Lightning Fields – New Music for Trumpet and Piano (2016)
MSR Classics
Jason Bergman – Trumpet
Steven Harlos – Piano

Jason Bergman’s 2016 debut album The Lightning Fields – New Music for Trumpet and Piano features a wide array of new music for trumpet. Bergman begins the album with Richard Peaslee’s Catalonia, which begins with an immediate display of his strong, broad sound. This sound is present throughout the entirety of the album and might be best exemplified in his recording of Daniel Schnyder’s Sonata for Trumpet and Piano, a through-composed sonata that lasts approximately 6 minutes. Not only does he demonstrate a characteristic trumpet sound, but Bergman also demonstrates his technical proficiency, gliding through the entire range of the trumpet. Perhaps there is no better example of this than his recording of Michael Daughtery’s The Lightning Fields.

This piece is written for both B-flat flugelhorn and C trumpet. Movements one and three are performed on flugelhorn and movements two and four on C trumpet. The movements performed on flugelhorn are quite rubato, and serve as a reprieve from the extremely physical C trumpet movements. The second and fourth movements are more nimble in character, requiring the soloist to double tongue-wide intervals, leap wide ranges of the instrument with ease, and demonstrate their finger facility. Daughtery titles each movement after a location in North America where “four unique nocturnal fields of natural or artificial light phenomena” can be found. In this he is able to characterize these different geographic areas across the United States, beginning in Los Angeles and concluding in Times Square.

While this review has been primarily focused on Bergman’s technical proficiency he does not shy away from the lyrical end of the trumpet. He demonstrates this beautifully through Kevin McKee’s Song for a Friend, which demonstrates his lyrical playing as well as his phrasing abilities. Bergman’s musicality is present throughout the entirety of this album, but this recording serves as an excellent example this.

The album concludes with McKee’s The Adventures Of… For Unaccompanied Trumpet. This final piece is a fast-paced piece without any real reprieve for the soloist. Bergman’s album is available on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and Amazon Music.

Track List:

1. Catalonia: I. With fire – Richard Peaslee
2. Catalonia: II. Slow, with warmth – Richard Peaslee
3. Catalonia: III. Wired, excited – Richard Peaslee
4. Sonata for Trumpet and Piano – Daniel Schnyder
5. The Lightning Fields: I. Griffith Observatory (Los Angeles, California) – Michael Daughtery
6. The Lightning Fields: II. The Lightning Field (Carton County, New Mexico) – Michael Daughtery
7. The Lightning Fields: III. Maria Lights (U.S. Route 67, Marfa, Texas) – Michael Daughtery
8. The Lightning Fields: IV. Times Square (New York City) – Michael Daughtery
9. Song for a Friend – Kevin McKee
10. Sonata for Trumpet and Piano: I. Moderato – Anthony Plog
11. Sonata for Trumpet and Piano: II. Lento and with freedom – Anthony Plog
12. Sonata for Trumpet and Piano: III. Molto vivace – Anthony Plog
13. Sonata for Trumpet and Piano: IV. Moderato – Anthony Plog
14. The Adventures Of… For Unaccompanied Trumpet – Kevin McKee

Click here to purchase The Lightning Fields.

Click here to learn more about Jason Bergman.

This review was submitted by Alex Sanso.