Ewazen's Trumpet Fantasia. Looking at equal challenge distribution.

From "Soloists of the American Brass Quintet" (1999): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Vh0Bwe6p0g

From NTC 2012, Central Washington University: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQl2q0tr2J8

Firstly, it's okay to not listen to both recordings entirely. It's a pretty long piece. I saw both recordings next to each other and figured it was a good opportunity to examine the piece from a pedagogical standpoint. Trumpet ensemble music is fun and exciting but the ensembles themselves are, in my opinion, primarily an opportunity for less experienced trumpet players to perform and learn from more experienced trumpet players.

Even at the best schools in the world, I think it's a very tall order for anyone to find seven trumpet students in a single studio capable of tackling the Ewazen Fantasia to satisfaction. The first recording is all professionals, and I'm sure there's some editing, but the difference in control and endurance is obvious between the pros and the students. Ewazen wrote this piece to be fairly equal and interesting between trumpet parts. That means each player has an equal share of the load (a load which sits generally high on the trumpet's tessitura for eight minutes and is packed with close harmonies with little room for breaks). I don't want to complain that the piece is "too hard", but rather to make a case for unequal part distribution. It is acceptable for a trumpet ensemble piece to favor the better players while challenging the up-and-comers. Ewazen's Fantasia is likely a killer experience for someone capable of playing it. But for every student who has loved preparing it, the Fantasia has likely been a nightmare for five others who may not have had the facility or raw staying-power to keep up.