The story of a showpiece

Being surrounded by music growing up, do you think that had an influence on your relationship with music?

It had an incredible influence on me. My dad was Principal Clarinet for the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) and I was taken to concerts quite frequently, listening to him play concertos with the orchestra. I remember thinking “that is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen” and that’s what I wanted to do when I grew up.

I started learning the clarinet from him around 11 or 12 years old. I left school early to become a professional musician and he taught me intensively for a number of years. “As long as you practice 8 hours a day”. And I thought “Deal! Anything but school work!”

Dad would have ensemble rehearsals at home and was always playing, so there was always music in the background with mum also playing the violin. They were professionals; we didn’t play for recreation, it was preparing for the next gig.

My dad was strict about practice, but I was really into it and it drove my passion.

Working with orchestras as a composer, soloist and tutti clarinettist, you’ve been involved at every level of the orchestra. What is that like?

A composer, Richard Mills, initially talked me into conducting my own works. I was petrified at first but I grew to enjoy it - it’s been a big turnaround for me from being intimidated to being excited! My experience working with orchestras, playing with them, and writing for them has given an overview that I think is quite crucial to composition.

Particularly with my earlier composing work, I’d talk to the musicians and ask “what do you think about this?”, “is this playable?” and that was invaluable really. It’s had quite a big impact on the way I write music and the way I conduct; having that sense of communication with the players and getting their thoughts on the music.

I love that collegiality of working with the musicians and sharing the stage together. We’re all in this together and sharing the same goal.

Can you tell us a little about your new work, the Trumpet Concerto?

The work opens with a two-minute intrada, written on the day of the funeral of Paul Goodchild, Principal Trumpet of the SSO. He was an old friend and the last time he contacted me, I wasn’t aware of how sick he was. He asked “I’d love for you to write me a short intrada.” I was so busy I put it aside and the next thing you know, he’s gone. The funeral was a very moving event, a full brass section was there, and I came home and wrote Paul’s intrada for him.

Brent also knew Paul and said he’d be honoured to include the intrada in the concerto. The trumpet is played off-stage to add an otherworldly, ‘ghost-like’ feel to the movement.

The next movement is a fanfare; a high-energy burst of interaction between the trumpet and the orchestra. The trumpet uses a lot of rapid-fire articulated note groupings and flourishes. The movement has a quirky, driving energy to it that shakes up the energy after the meditation-type opening.

The adagio was one of the first movements I wrote for this concerto and it was composed right after I had finished the film score for Blueback. I could smell the salt spray of the Indian ocean and the beautiful creatures off the coast of Western Australia when writing this movement.

The final movement is a playful dialogue between trumpet and orchestra. A lot of the material is based on declamatory gestures; the typical trumpet gestures that are associated with the instrument. But it’s done in a playful way.

It’s very technically difficult and is a showpiece for Brent.

You worked quite closely with WASO Principal Trumpet, Brent Grapes, when composing the piece; what surprised you about the process?

One thing I learnt about Brent is his contemporary approach to playing the trumpet.

The really great players of today create this warmer, unforced sound. In the past we’ve associated the trumpet with a harsh, ‘powerful’ type of sound. But these days, it’s capable of much more warmth and that is being developed around the world. It’s musical, warm, and welcoming and draws you in. It blends beautifully with other instruments and Brent was fantastic in explaining that to me. This idea is very relevant to the first and third movements; the slower, contemplative pieces that rely on the warmth and lyricism that comes with that approach to playing.

What do you think people should listen out for in this piece?

I’ve tried to cover a lot of ground musically. There’s high energy virtuosic music in there, low-key emotional vulnerability, soulful ideas, brass percussive ideas… and everything in between.

It moves through a lot of territory, so I hope it can create an environment where the listener can bring their own narrative and get lost in their own journey through the playfulness of the music.

Nigel Westlake’s Trumpet Concerto premieres as part of Bohemian Rhapsodies.
Friday 11 & Saturday 12 November, 7.30pm
Perth Concert Hall

Principal Trumpet, Brent Grapes, is generously supported by a Philanthropic Patron. Nigel Westlake’s Trumpet Concerto commissioned for WASO by Geoff Stearn and Janet Holmes à Court AC.