The Times     July 29, 2006

Häkan Hardenberger

Eotvos, Gruber, Turnage
(DG)

Behold the greatest trumpeter on earth. Hardenberger's tone ranges from growl to howl, from blazing bullfighters' fanfare to muted nightclub sleaze, and his tireless lips stop vibrating only to admit air that is not often in these three works.

Gruber's Aerial requires Hardenberger to sing and play simultaneously; Turnage's From the Wreckage demands a husky virtuoso cadenza, while Eotvos's Jetstream involves a perfectly formed blues solo over a stuck synthesizer. Breathless.

RICK JONES