It’s albums like this that remind me what a vibrant and far-reaching musical community we have here in Rochester. I always love seeing the successes of fellow Eastman alumni, and trumpeter Max Otto Matzen’s new album Nightsongs has those in spades. It features not one, not two, but three Eastman alumni: Matzen himself, his wife Mayumi Matzen on the piano, and fellow trumpeter Brett Long. Harpist Chilali Hugo, a colleague of Matzen’s at the Caine School of the Arts at Utah State University, rounds out the album’s artists.
This isn’t Matzen’s first go-round in the recording booth. He is a founding member of the Emerald Brass Quintet which he, Brett Long, and several other Eastman grad students founded while studying together nearly twenty years ago. All these years later, the group still performs together despite being scattered across the United States, and in 2020 released an album together on Albany Records.
Nightsongs, by contrast, is a solo feature for Matzen. I was immediately drawn to the sheer range of musical styles represented on the album, and each piece is delightful in its own way. Whether you’re looking for a bouncy sonatina by Jean Françaix, some stately Bach, or a classic Romantic recital piece by Carl Höhne, this album has it all.
I especially enjoy the 7 Canciones populares Españolas by Manuel de Falla. This piece has been arranged for many different instruments and ensembles, from voice and orchestra to viola and guitar to string quintet and everything in between. Matzen’s arrangement for trumpet and harp sounds like something that shouldn’t work: the trumpet is far too bombastic for the delicate harp to stand a chance. His careful playing lays those fears entirely to rest, though, and he instead provides a meditative, dreamy interpretation that perfectly balances the sound of the harp.
Nightsongs shines a light on the musical talent nurtured here in Rochester, the community it fosters, and the far reach that community has. How lucky for us to benefit from it year-round!