When German troops were approaching Moscow in 1941, Yury Mikhailovich Aleksandrov (1914-2001) joined the 8th Moscow Volunteers’ Rifle Division and fought there for several months. Later, as a graduating student of the Moscow Conservatory, he was ordered to return to Moscow together with other artists and was evacuated to Saratov. After the war, Aleksandrov joined the Composers’ Union at the recommendation of Dmitry Shostakovich. Nikolai Myaskovsky also heavily influenced his growth as a composer. For over 30 years, Aleksandrov worked as an editor for the Muzgiz publishing house.

His Sonata for Trumpet and Piano was written in the early 1960s and published in 1965. The first movement, Sonatina, resembles the neo-classical mannerisms of Prokofiev and Myaskovsky in melodic contour, contrapuntal technique and harmony. The second movement, Aria, has two contrasting themes, closely following the example of the slow movement of Prokofiev’s Sonata for Flute, Op.94. A perpetual flow of triplet eighth-notes in the finale, Toccata, sweeps through the movement seemingly in one breath. Some of the challenges of the work for the trumpeter are its wide range and slurred leaps, limited rest time and an extreme variety of dynamics and character changes. This sonata exists in two versions: with piano and with chamber orchestra.

Take a look at sample pages of the solo and score provided to the left and then click above for a complete download of the music. Included in this download is the solo part, piano score, and MP3 recordings of the entire piece as played by Russian trumpeter Iskander Akhmadullin.