Once a semester, first and second year classical brass students of Oberlin Conservatory put on a performance, showcasing their most recent efforts. Conducted by the trombone professor John Gruber, this semester’s Brass Ensemble concert will take place on Friday, April 25 at 7:30pm in Warner Concert Hall. The majority of the program is made up of fanfares, a genre that second year trumpeter Luca Ivagnes couldn’t be more thrilled about. I sat down with Ivagnes and asked him what he finds so enjoyable about pieces that I would write off as jousting background music.
“I like how loud they are,” he said. “Sure, soft music is beautiful but I need to be in a very specific place to enjoy it.” He continued to clarify the headspace that fanfares put him in: “I see them as almost religious—glorious. They put the world in a much more positive frame.”
Considering the imagery that he uses to visualize these pieces, I see where Ivagnes is coming from. “I think the ideas are much less like the conversation analogy, which I personally use in music a lot. It’s useful but it’s much harder to apply when you’re playing a single part in a larger ensemble. Instruments can be evocative of certain animals. An elephant is not a flute, but it can be an embodiment of that character.”
The program also has sections that will depart from the standard brass band. “My quintet reached out to [Gruber], asking him if we could play in the concert. So, we’ll be playing a piece of German clown music entitled Kinderzirkus. The playing itself isn’t all that glorious but there’s enough communication and satire built into it that it has its own appeal.”
Within this context, I wondered what he hoped the audience would get out of the concert. “Just to enjoy some music and to get a specific image in their minds as well. I think the idea for me as a trumpet player is to embody the character of every piece to the fullest extent possible. So, with the fanfare, it’s this big, fat, loud, glorious, sound that soars over everything else – with the circus piece, it’s meant to just be funny. It’s hard not to crack a smile at some points.”
Ivagnes’ excitement for this music is tightly wound around a sense of humor. “Last night one of my studio mates played the hell out of an excerpt, and the first analogy that came to mind was, oh, you beat the shit out of a figure skater with that one. Imagine a beautiful, dancing figure skater that gets pummeled by a truck.”
As ridiculous of a picture as that is, Ivagnes believes comparisons like this are essential to forming the bond a musician should have with the music they play. “I think that imagery is something that instrumentalists at this level are beginning to acquire – being able to talk about the music in a way above just how it’s notated in a way that’s still productive.”
“Playing in a section that you’ve spent the last two years with is an experience that you won’t have until you get a job outside of school. You’ll always be rotating — moving around — no matter what. And being able to connect with people on that level and make extremely good music with people on that level is something very unique and special as to what I’ve been able to do so far. Part of what I will miss about this ensemble is getting to see these people grow.”
This Friday’s concert is as much about the entertainment of talented musicians as it is about supporting peers. “It’s a busy time in the semester, there won’t be time to slow down. It’s fun to go with friends. It’s fun to go by yourself. And there’s so much value in being able to spend time with your own brain, accompanied by live music. For me personally, and I think for the average Oberlin student, live classical music has such an influence. I think there’s value in having time to be in the present and cognizant of how you react.”
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