New Trombone Collective

Thank you to all you non-trombonists for sticking with me through eight posts about the trombone this International Trombone Week. I hope you found some of them entertaining and/or interesting. As today is the last day of ITW, I will now return to blogging about anything and everything – but first…

The New Trombone Collective is a group of nine young Dutch trombonists who met while studying at the Rotterdam Conservatory, and who now all play in professional orchestras in the Netherlands. They have created a very unique set of three recordings which feature the different sides of the ensemble. The first CD, Collective, features works for trombone ensemble from the Renaissance to the present; the third CD, New includes new works that have been written for the ensemble. I bought the second CD, Trombone, a few weeks ago, and it follows a very creative format: each member of the group is featured as a soloist in a piece of his own choosing. It makes for a very eclectic programme; the pieces range from a 17th century work for unaccompanied solo trombone to a contemporary work for solo trombone with trombone choir. The playing is wonderful and the repertoire is fantastic. I just love the whole concept – it’s a great idea that gives us a more personal glimpse of the individual members of the group.

I was particularly excited to see David Popper’s Requiem included on the CD. Originally for three cellos and piano, the piece works very well for three trombones. I got to hear the trombone section of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra perform it on a recital they gave at the University of Toronto in 1998 when the Concertgebouw was in town to play at Roy Thomson Hall. It was an inspiring performance, and their rendition of Popper’s Requiem made quite an impression on me. Jörgen van Rijen was one of the trombonists that day, and is also on the CD, so that’s kind of cool.

Trombone is an excellent CD for anyone wanting to hear some not-so-standard repertoire played by a world class group of trombonists. I highly recommend it.

I close my International Trombone Week blogfest with the following quote:

“In my opinion the trombone is the true head of that family of wind instruments which I have named the epic one. It possesses nobility and grandeur to the highest degree; it has all the serious and powerful tones of sublime musical poetry, from religious, calm and imposing accents to savage, orgiastic outbursts. Directed by the will of a master, the trombones can chant like a choir of priests, threaten, utter gloomy sighs, a mournful lament or a bright hymn of glory, they can break forth into awe-inspiring cries and awaken the dead or doom the living with their fearful voices” – Hector Berlioz, from his Treatise on Instrumentation

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