The trumpet has had many concertos written for it by composers from the Soviet era and beyond. Appealing in its unabashed melodies and colourfully nostalgic feel, Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto became popular in the West, while Weinberg’s emotive Trumpet Concerto in B flat major was summed up by Shostakovich as a ‘symphony for trumpet and orchestra’. Shostakovich’s own playful Concerto no.1, op.35, is recorded here with Timofei Dokschizer’s extended trumpet part, bringing it closer to the Baroque ‘double concerto’ model that the composer may initially have intended.

The three works featured on this recording each has a connection with virtuoso trumpeter Timofei Dokshizer, who commissioned and premiered a succession of such pieces. A major attraction for this release is Paul Merkelo playing Shostakovich’s extremely popular Piano Concerto no.1 (which also features acclaimed pianist Jae-Hyuck Cho) in a version with archival cadenzas and ornamentation by Timofei Dokschizer.

Appearing here in his Naxos debut, Paul Merkelo has been hailed as ‘the new Maurice André’ by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is recognised as ‘a spectacular soloist... a most impressive master of his instrument’ (Montreal Gazette) who ‘knows no limits’ (Der Spiegel Online) with ‘unusual lyrical gifts’ (Gramophone).