Performed live on April 12th, 2024 as part of Christopher Keach's second Doctoral Recital.

Golden Concerto by Václav Nelhýbel

Christopher Keach, trumpet

Alex Shafirov, piano

Program Notes:

“Václav Nelhýbel was a Czech American composer who received his early musical training in Prague. He studied composition at the University of Fribourg where he later taught. In 1957 he came to the United States, where he taught at several schools, including Lowell State College and the University of Scranton.

Nelhybel’s Golden Concerto was written in 1960, and was his first piece published in the United States and written on a twelve-tone row. This piece explores the flexibility of the instrument, showcasing all the best the trumpet has to offer; from fast, flashy articulation, to lyrical and beautifully expressive melodies. The rhythmic complexity of Golden Concerto propels the motion of the piece forward for a continuous level of engagement from the beginning to the end.

Golden Concerto has a special place in my heart as a musician. This is the last piece I performed under the tutelage of my high school trumpet teacher, John Brierly. John has been a huge inspiration to me growing up and developed my playing to be flexible and unique which I continue to strive to maintain today.

This performance of Golden Concerto is dedicated to my former teacher and inspiration, John Brierly.”