Trumpet repertoire • 20th century
Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto Armenian Fire and Lyricism
Alexander Arutiunian’s electrifying concerto combines a soaring melodic voice with rhythmic vitality and has become one of the essential modern showpieces for trumpet.
Alexander Arutiunian (1920–2012)
Alexander Arutiunian’s Trumpet Concerto in A-flat major is a defining twentieth-century work for the instrument. Its blend of Armenian colour, cinematic lyricism and fearless virtuosity has made it a permanent favourite with performers and audiences alike.
A concerto with its own voice
Written in 1949–50, the concerto speaks in a language that is immediately recognisable: broad, vocal melodies are set against driving rhythms, sharp contrasts and passages of brilliant articulation. Though it is cast as one continuous movement, its changing episodes create the feeling of a large dramatic journey.
Arutiunian drew on the character of Armenian musical tradition without quoting folk songs directly. The result is music with an improvisatory quality—intense, flexible and deeply expressive—while remaining perfectly idiomatic for the trumpet.
What makes it a challenge
The concerto demands a complete command of the instrument: a powerful yet flexible sound, secure interval changes, swift articulation and the ability to shape long melodic lines under pressure. The cadenza and coda turn those elements into a thrilling final statement.
Why it remains essential
Arutiunian’s concerto appears regularly in auditions, recitals and competitions because it tests technique and musical character at the same time. A convincing performance needs precision, but also a strong sense of rhetoric: the music must sound spontaneous, direct and alive.
A modern trumpet classic
With its unforgettable opening, lyrical central episodes and breathtaking finish, the Arutiunian Concerto continues to show how expressive, agile and theatrical the trumpet can be.
