Trombone Concerto (MacMillan)

The Trombone Concerto is a composition for trombone and orchestra written by the Scottish composer James MacMillan. The work was commissioned by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for their principal trombonist Jörgen van Rijen and co-commissioned by a consortium of orchestras comprising the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Oulu Symphony Orchestra, and the Philharmonisches Orchester des Staatstheaters Cottbus. It was first performed by Jörgen van Rijen and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the direction of Iván Fischer at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, on 20 April 2017. The piece is dedicated to Jörgen van Rijen and in memory of Sara Maria MacMillan, the composer's granddaughter, who died shortly before its composition.[1][2]

Composition

The music is cast in one continuous movement and has a duration of roughly 30 minutes in performance.

Instrumentation

The work is scored for a solo trombone and a large orchestra consisting of three flutes (3rd doubling piccolo), two oboes, cor anglais, two clarinets, bass clarinet, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, two additional trombones, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, two percussionists, harp, piano, and strings.[1]

Reception

The Trombone Concerto has been well received by music critics. Reviewing the United States premiere in Dallas, Scott Cantrell of The Dallas Morning News wrote, "Twenty-nine minutes long, in multiple contrasting sections played without pause, it definitely exploits the trombone's wide-ranging possibilities and a vast array of orchestral textures."[3] Wayne Lee Gay of the Texas Classical Review called it "a grandly ambitious and assertive work, cast in a single, continuous and eventful rhapsodic movement."[4] Reviewing a performance by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ken Walton of The Scotsman similarly described the piece as "[a] heartrending work, no holds barred."[5]

See also

References
  1. MacMillan, James (2016). "Trombone Concerto". Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  2. Kearns, Madeleine (30 August 2019). "Scotland, Suffering, and Silence: An Interview with Sir James MacMillan". National Review. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  3. Cantrell, Scott (15 February 2018). "With the DSO, Gustavo Gimeno was impressive in a dramatic new work, less so in Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  4. Gay, Wayne Lee (16 February 2018). "Two Russian masters (and a talented Scot) receive their due from Gimeno, DSO". Texas Classical Review. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  5. Walton, Ken (18 January 2019). "Music review: The BBC SSO play MacMillan's Trombone Concerto". The Scotsman. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
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