One of "my ballets for trumpet," as Jolivet dubbed the present work and his Trumpet Concerto No. 2, the Concertino was composed in 1948 (and has in fact been choreographed). This ten-minute work is in four sections; the propulsive vigor of its opening minutes, with its dark comedy and jazzy syncopations, leads into a more languorous central section. The energy builds once again, with lively rhythms and a slight hint of jazz, and the work concludes with a brilliant coda. During and after World War II Jolivet, spurning the worldwide retreat from general audiences engaged in by many of his major contemporaries, turned toward a newly accessible style. He added Bartók's motoric rhythms to a set of stylistic influences that included Messiaen and Varèse, cultivated a basically tonal harmonic framework, and continued to pursue exotic sounds. The present Concertino neatly encapsulates all these traits.

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