the themes of haydn's trumpet concerto in e-flat major are angular and atonal.

Indeed, in addition to the soundscapes showcased tonight, these two composers produced an eclectic array of music representative of the politically, economically, and artistically tumultuous time in which they lived. Both Prokofiev and Walton simultaneously drew from any number of artistic approaches, constantly experimenting and shifting positions within the constellation of compositional styles as their careers progressed. These new compositional categories included, among others, the free atonality of Schoenberg and Berg, the post-Romanticism of Puccini and Rachmaninoff, the new nationalisms of Bartok, Chavez, Elgar, et al, the neoclassicism of Stravinsky and Hindemith, the early American experimentalism of Ives, and the jazz-influenced styles of Gershwin and Weill.Īs tonight’s program will demonstrate, however, the categories outlined above are anything but separable. The previously pervasive late Romanticism of figures like Mahler and Strauss and the Impressionism of Ravel and Debussy were giving way to a diverse collection of musical techniques. Born a decade apart on either side of the turn of the twentieth century, Sergei Prokofiev and William Walton came of age at a pivotal and provocative moment in Western classical music. Just as the two composers were beginning their formal educations on opposite ends of Europe, a proliferation of new musical styles was erupting across the continent.

The themes of haydn's trumpet concerto in e-flat major are angular and atonal.