[#29] February 10, 2020
2016 | Trombone and Wind Ensemble | Grade 6 | 20’- 25’ | Concerto
Steven Bryant’s Concerto for Trombone is our composition of the week.
The 23-minutes work is dedicated to Joseph Alessi, who premiered it on February 19th, 2016, with the University of Texas Austin Wind Ensemble under Jerry Junkin.
Bryant’s concerto was commissioned by the Dallas Winds, UT Austin Wind Ensemble and a consortium of ensembles from around the country.
Written for an advanced level, the concerto’s instrumentation uses the orchestral winds as its basic canvas:
2232/4331.Contrabass.Piano.Harp.Timpani.Percussion (4)
“Unlike most of my other music, I initially created a long (for me) melody instead of a short motive as the basis of all three movements of the work, and drew motivic material from that as needed. Despite my original intention, the full, uninterrupted melody never makes an appearance in the piece. Also of note, a particular four-note chord from movement IV of Webern’s Six Pieces for Orchestra informs the work. I quoted this same work of Webern in my Concerto for Wind Ensemble, the work Joe first heard in Miami which sparked his interest in my music, so it serves as a subtle connecting thread between these two events. The music is absolute – there is no program or storyline apart from the inherent drama of the soloist dancing around (and often above!) the ensemble in the Concerto’s traditional fast-slow-fast movement structure.” Program notes by the composer
“My music ranges from electronic experiments to works for professional symphony orchestra, from music for middle school band to virtuosic solo pieces, and combinations of all of these with live electronic media. I believe firmly in writing music not only for accomplished musicians, but also for those at the beginning of their musical lives”. STEVEN BRYANT
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