Paul Merkelo held the solo trumpet seat at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra since 1995. It recently played music by Vivaldi, Haydn and Tartini with the English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) at Cadogan Hall in London. I am writing this concert review from my home office in New York. But I don’t remember the concert and don’t consult my notes. Instead, I experienced it through video, and in doing so, I realized that two years of the pandemic have changed what is considered normal and even allowed.

New rules for a new normal

Before the appearance of COVID-19 I would have hesitated before agreeing to see a concert again without having attended it in person. When, here at Blogcritics, we noted the city in parentheses in the title of a review, there was always an assumption, on our part and presumably on our readers’ part, that the writer had been physically present at the event. This assumption is no longer valid – or necessary.

Handel’s Trumpet Concerto in E flat major is a repertoire favorite, and Merkelo brought a whole range of skill and energy to it. Although this piece employed the largest ensemble in the program, it was warm and intimate. With consummate phrasing, he fused buttery legatos with precise staccatos in the celebratory first movement. The ruminative Andante evoked a beautiful pastoral scene. The bouncing touch of the orchestra, combined with the agile virtuosity of Mr. Merkelo, gave the famous finale a sound that was both light and brilliantly triumphant.

Maurice André, for his part, was known for having performed the transcription for trumpet of the Concerto in D (D53) for violin by the violinist-composer Giuseppe Tartini. (It is no coincidence that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation called Mr. Merkelo “the new Maurice André.”) Mr. Merkelo and ECO’s performance was graceful all around. Switching to the piccolo trumpet, ideal for playing high-pitched passages in pre-classical music, he navigated with easy dexterity through the fast passages of the first movement, then brought a liquid, almost oboe-like tone to the slow movement.

The upbeat finale demands a lot of agility from the trumpeter, who in this case made it all easy. It also includes passages of hushed tension, nicely modulated by the orchestra. And it provided Mr. Merkelo with the opportunity for a brief, tasteful cadenza in which he explored interesting harmonic possibilities not present in the score.

When a trumpet isn’t enough

Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Trumpets in C, RV537, has long been popular in the repertoire. It’s loaded with good humor and playful interaction between the two soloists. Backed by a smaller ensemble, Mr Merkelo and ECO principal trumpet Neil Brough recreated a bit of the 18th century for delighted live audiences.

Much of the appeal of this concerto, as in some of Vivaldi’s other popular works, lies in the interaction and synchrony of the soloists. Here, the trumpet parts were like a conversation between two dear old friends. The two trumpeters and the ECO infused the music with delicacy and gaiety, transcending its formalism to convey its spirit with easy virtuosity and a wink.

What more could you ask for? Well, one thing: to be present in the concert hall. As the pandemic recovery progresses and concert schedules fill up, we have more and more opportunities to experience the joys of great musical creation firsthand. But among the new rules and habits that have evolved since the long shutdown is a greater awareness among musicians that they are playing for the world at large and for the future.

Paul Merkelo’s most recent album, The Enlightened Trumpet, includes music by Haydn, Telemann, Mozart and Hummel and is available online.

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