BPO – The Draughtsman’s Contract – Aaron Azunda Akugbo (trumpet), Joanna MacGregor (conductor)

The Brighton Philharmonic has triumphed again! Only the fourth orchestra to attempt Wynton Marsalis’ phenomenal Trumpet Concerto and there’s but a rare handful of soloists who can handle it. Aaron Azunda Akugbo looked very serious at the start but, be fair, it was his first time performing these 35 minutes of extraordinary virtuoso music. Six varied movements showcasing every conceivable trumpet technique, and section four, Blues, requiring no less than five different mutes. There was something for everyone. If the rawness of the opening March, that starts with an elephant’s trumpeting, is not to your taste then you can enjoy the elegant Ballad or the audio pyrotechnics of the Mexican Son. The audience was enraptured and vigorously applauded at every opportunity, including at the grand pause before the climactic burst of percussion and bird calls that built to the frantic final elephant cry. This support from the audience clearly helped as Akugbo and MacGregor began to smile, though hardly relax. With flourishes and fanfares, rapid repetition and fiendish passage-work, sometimes fearfully high and yet also at the very bottom of his register, the trumpet must have been red-hot but the orchestra too was expected to follow him. They were stupendous, answering his animal calls, slurring their sounds to his sleazy wow-wow drooling, keeping up with the wonderful mix of melody and energy, jazz and precision, and coming together after the audience interruption to a thrilling ending. A threshold has been crossed – this young maestro, Aaron Azunda Akugbo, had better return to Brighton soon. He’s been adopted!

Aaron Azunda Akugbo © Olivia Da Costa

Thankfully the second half was familiar and almost relaxing. That said, it is the first time I’ve heard the Nyman works live and there is so much detail to hear in the concert hall. Thanks too for Joanna’s concise but cogent introductions. The printed versions set the scene, then the enthusiasm of her live comments makes these performances that bit more special. The thrumming repetitions of Prospero’s Books last for only 20 minutes but its four distinctive movements are very satisfying. The suite from The Draughtsman’s Contract plays for only 15 minutes but live in the concert hall seemed the more substantial work that built to a perfect climax and a blast of applause that will take the BPO happily into 2026.

Andrew Connal
Brighton Dome Concert Hall,
24 January 2026

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