Sequenza X presents the trumpet the way it is – no strange effects, no demands for playing techniques which would transform its character. Berio’s stroke of inspiration was to use a piano, invisibly amplified and with the loudspeaker hidden under the piano. The lid is fully open; the trumpeter must occasionally play into the piano. Berio uses the echo effects very sparingly – so it is all the more captivating when they do sound, with the trumpet continuing to play with its own echo in the background.