Alison Balsom, A Musical Life
Featured here is a brief excerpt from a documentary about British trumpet virtuoso Alison Balsom by Richard Dunkley . What follows are several (thirteen!) stills from the film that also serve as links to music videos of some her outstanding performances from a variety of sources (only the Thalben-Ball elegy is audio only).
Video: We did a short variation of the film which was filed away and literally forgotten until editor Simon Sharp showed it to me recently. It is a beautiful cut, concentrating on Alison’s creative process rather than celebrity, with different music from the main film. Since then Alison has won the Classical BRITS again. ─Richard Dunkley
Video: In concert, Alison Balsom performs a capella Claude Debussy’s Syrinx.

Trudging through the snow Alison Balsom brings her trumpet and her cup of coffee to practice in a Medieval stone church..
Video: Here Alison performs on the valveless natural trumpet, the brief overture from Händel’s: Atalanta
Video: Handel – Birthday Ode for Queen Anne: Eternal source of light divine, Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert. Alison Balsom on natural trumpet with countertenor Iestyn Davies
Video: In concert, performing Haydn’s trumpet concerto in E-flat major.
Video: In Concert in Germany: Alison Balsom performs the Queen of the Night aria from Mozart’s the Magic Flute, receives a heavy award, and gives thanks in German.
Video: Beautiful baroque ornamentation in this Presto from a Vivaldi concerto.
Video: Alison Balsom demonstrates triple-tonguing and discusses other technical demands of Enesco’s remarkable “Legend” before performing it.
Video: Alison Balsom talks a little about preparations for an album of Italian concertos.
Video: In Concert, Ástor Piazzolla’s Libertango
Video: Rodion Shchedrin’s composition “A la Albeniz”.
Video: Sweet melancholy in this Elegy by George Thalben-Ball, with Quentin Thomas on organ.

The remarkable dress Alison Balsom wore at the 2009 Classical Brits Awards where she won Female Artist of the Year
Video: Alison Balsom’s American television debut on The David Letterman Show. Hard to play trumpet when you’re smiling, but she manages. Dave was demonstrably wowed by this performance of the finale of Alessandro Marcello’s celebrated concerto.
Video: Alison, trumpet in hand, walks up through the middle of the audience to the stage and performs the lively rondo from Johann Nepomuk Hummel’s trumpet concerto.
─Nicholas Mitchell
UPDATE:
And! She tweets!
Thanks – was v fun “@puxxled: Dave Letterman truly wowed by Alison Balsom’s performance. http://youtu.be/IQF19eNf8OI #classical @AliBalsom”

















Alison Balsom










