Appleby-Wineberg brings

Bryan Appleby-Wineberg performed a beautiful concert of eclectic works on Monday as part of the Faculty Spotlight Series. He was accompanied by pianist Veda Zuponcic, who is also part of Rowan’s music faculty.
At 8 p.m. the concert began with Purcell’s “Sonata in D Major” performed on piccolo trumpet. This three-part Baroque sonata sounded very formal and was executed with confidence. The first and third movements were fast and happy, while the second movement had a dark minor sound, featuring the piano.
The second piece was the most contemporary work, written around 1995 by Eric Ewazen, a faculty member of The Juilliard School. Despite the impressive credentials surrounding it, the work lacked the direction and coherence needed to appeal to the average listener.
Although the piece was not easy to follow, it did give Appleby-Wineberg a chance to show the many colors of the trumpet. The piano also played a wide range of textures from harsh, jabbing chords to a mysterious wash of sound.
The third piece, “Quatre Variations sur un Theme de D. Scarlatti” by Marcel Bitsch, ˇopened up the second half of the concert. This piece was the most entertaining and at times somewhat comical. In this piece, the composer took a well-known melodic idea and wrote it out in four different styles. The first time through, the melody was played plainly, then with a bit of Latin flavor to it, then slowly and smoothly, and finally quickly and impressively, showing off the high level of technical ability achieved by the performer.
Following the humor of the previous piece was a very serious work by Perischetti entitled “The Hollow Men.”
Appleby-Wineberg explained to the audience that Perischetti based this work on a poem by T.S. Elliot about “…how life ends not with a bang, but a whimper.” A fluid melodic line persisted alongside, against and finally within the control of the piano, ending in a soft, passive resolution.
The last piece was by Jean-Baptiste Arban, author of the renowned book “Method for the Cornet.” Appleby-Wineberg played Arban’s “Fantasie Brillante” the way it was intended to be played – on cornet. He showed a level of technique that kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
Looking around during the piece, one would expect to see many wide eyes and open mouths as the performer demonstrated amazing agility at breakneck speeds. Every moment was more amazing than the next and the best was most definitely saved for last. At the conclusion of the concert, the audience applauded wildly until the trumpeter made his final exit from the stage.