Säckingen

The title of this piece refers to the place of the world premiere, Bad Säckingen, where the members of the European Trumpet Guild gathered in November 2000. Bertold Hummel was commissioned to compose a piece for that occasion. The composer used six trumpets from the bass trumpet to the piccolo trumpet, complemented by the bassoons only. The three movements are rich in contrast; in the second movement the listener is caught unawares by an 'echo' of Luther's 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott'. A well-known modern melody appears in the last movement, is processed and quickly leads to a dramatic finale. Hummel always knew how to write the perfect piece for every occasion or performer, how to capture the audience and how to always remain true to his personal style.