The image many people have of a trumpet player is a man on stage in a dimly lit, smoky bar wearing a derby hat so low that you cannot see his eyes. However, this virtuoso instrument, and player, is just at home on the dais of a concert hall.

And Sergei Mikhailovich Nakariakov from Russia is one such classical trumpeter. On Monday, Nakariakov will perform at the Shanghai Concert Hall where he will be accompanied by the Belgian pianist, Maria Meerovitch. This will be Nakariakov's first performance in Shanghai.

Spinal injury

The 35-year-old soloist has been playing the trumpet for more than 20 years. He started out learning the piano at the age of 6, but moved on to the trumpet after a spinal injury in 1986. When he performed at the age of 13 at the Korsholm Music Festival (an annual event in Finland), he was described as "the Paganini of the trumpet" by local media. In 2002, Nakariakov was named "Instrumentalist of the Year" by the prestigious Klassik Echo, an annual music award ceremony in Germany.

"There have not been many original works specifically composed for the trumpet, especially in the classical and Romantic periods. And because of this, people's knowledge and understanding of the trumpet has been very limited," he told the Global Times.

Nakariakov said one of his aims is to inform people about the wider repertoire of works and genres that can be played on the trumpet.

"I have been experimenting with adapting works for the trumpet that were not written for the instrument, such as compositions from the Romantic period including works by Brahms, Mozart and Schumann," he said. "Of course, adaptation is difficult and demands a certain amount of caution and discretion; you have to respect the original composition to a great extent. In creating these adaptations it's not simply about a straight transposition - you have to add some color to the works."

However, Nakariakov emphasized that it is not possible to play many original compositions for stringed instruments on the trumpet, for example, not least because the trumpet cannot play chords.   

Nakariakov said that he is also interested in jazz music, but that it is a form he has never practiced because he doesn't believed he is skilled at improvising. "But I believe that all music has the same roots, whether it's jazz or classical, so if there was an opportunity to play jazz in the future, I would take it."

The program Nakariakov will perform in Shanghai includes Schumann's Adagio and Allegro and Fantasiestücke, Torchinsky's Capriccio and Arban's Variations on Bellini's Norma and Le Carnaval de Venice (The Carnival of Venice).

Virtuoso techniques

Nakariakov explained that, "Schumann's Fantasiestücke is always played on cello and clarinet, but I adapted it using a flugelhorn, which is a brass instrument belonging to the trumpet family, but which has a wider, conical bore. I also wanted to include variation works that Jean-Baptiste Arban adapted."

"Arban's Variations on Bellini's Norma and Le Carnaval de Venice remain among the great showpieces for cornet soloists today," he added.

There will be the opening performance for Shanghai Concert Hall's 2012/2013 performance season. According to Fang Jin, deputy manager of the Shanghai Concert Hall, the new season will see 300 concerts featuring musicians and ensembles both from China and abroad.

Date: September 17, 7:30 pm

Venue: Shanghai Concert Hall

上海音乐厅

Address: 523 Yan'an Road East

延安东路523号

Tickets: 50 to 580 yuan

Call 6217-3055 for details