Salpinx

Wilfried Hiller used the Greek work for trumpet, salpinx, as the title of this 8 minute 'miniature trumpet concerto' which he composed when he was awarded the Werner Egk Prize of the city of Donauwörth in 1997.

Despite its shortness, Salpinx is far more than a mere musical aperçu. As in a watercolour by Turner, the solo trumpet and the accompanying wind ensemble paint the picture of a Greek island in the blinding midday sun in this lyrical work with its transparent architecture and glowing tonal colours. The allusion wasn’t entirely coincidental for Hiller had chosen the island of Phournoi as his summer retreat around the time he wrote the work.