“I love the sound of loud, bombastic brass! This is probably because my dad is a trumpet player and a band director, and as a result, I grew up exposed to—and loving—music for wind ensemble and marching band. That wall of sound only a brass section can make is awesome!”

Paul Dukas (1865–1935) composed this scintillating opener to his ballet La Péri for its 1912 premiere in Paris, which took place at a series of “danced concerts” arranged by Natalia Trouhanova (the work’s commissioner and lead dancer) and the theatre director Jacques Rouché. It provides a glimpse into the composer’s masterful skill in writing for brass instruments—in this case, an ensemble consisting of three trumpets, four French horns, three trombones, and a tuba. Unfolding in three brief sections, the fanfare displays the bright and warm sonorities of these instruments. It opens with a brilliant “call-to-order”. An assertive theme follows, first played by French horns, then trumpets, then the rest of the brass join in, culminating in three confident chords; this is repeated, slightly varied. After a more flowing chorale-like section of bold harmonies, the “call-to-order” returns as a final summons.

Indian American composer Reena Esmail (b. 1983) works between the worlds of Indian and Western classical music and brings communities together through the creation of equitable musical spaces. She is the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s 2020–2023 Swan Family Artist-in-Residence, and Seattle Symphony’s 2020–2021 Composer-in-Residence. Her work has been commissioned by ensembles including the Kronos Quartet, Imani Winds, Chicago Sinfonietta, and The Elora Festival, among many others, with new work for Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and Santa Fe Pro Musica in upcoming seasons. Esmail holds degrees in composition from The Juilliard School and Yale School of Music; her doctoral thesis, entitled Finding Common Ground: Uniting Practices in Hindustani and Western Art Musicians, explores the methods and challenges of the collaborative process between Hindustani musicians and Western composers. Currently based in Los Angeles, Esmail is Artistic Director of Shastra, a non-profit organization that promotes cross-cultural music connecting music traditions of India and the West.

Tutturana was originally a piece for women’s choir, composed in 2014, which Esmail then arranged for brass quintet, by commission of The Brass Project, as the final movement of a three-movement suite entitled Khirkiyaan. As she explains:

The title of this movement is a conglomeration of two words: the Italian word “tutti”, means “all” or “everyone”, and the term “tarana” designates a specific Hindustani (North Indian) musical form, whose closest Western counterpart is the “scat” in jazz. Made up of rhythmic syllables, a tarana is the singer’s chance to display agility and dexterity. While the brass version of this piece doesn’t have the actual syllables that the vocal version does, it does aim to showcase the brilliant virtuosity of the ensemble.