The debut in Leicester of this quartet of trombones was a thoroughly enjoyable occasion. From the opening speech it was clear that this was a group which set out first and foremost to entertain. The introductions to the music and the playing that followed conveyed a winning pleasure. They clearly recognised that the classical repertoire for solo trombones was, to put it gently, somewhat limited and that therefore arrangements of music were going to have to feature largely in any programme. Also, the fact that the instrument was to be often found in jazz and dance music clearly opened up further opportunities for witty musical connections to be made.
Laughter, surprise and delight rarely seemed very far away in the concert. Arrangements for the instruments of well known music as in the first two works played, Dan Jenkins’ Dance with Dreams and Callum Au’s Kind of Blue Danube and Low Down quickly established that. In the latter the trombone became astonishingly beguiling and in William Foster’s adaptation of music from Swan Lake the playing achieved an astonishing lightness at times.
It was followed by an arrangement of the spiritual Sometimes I feel like a Motherless Child which has a most beautiful ending and that was followed by Brian Lynn’s Trombone Quartet which on a first hearing seemed to have rather too much display and not a great deal of substance, despite what I thought to be its occasional sexiness at times.
I have also to say, however, that by this time I was puzzled by the composer being described in the programme as infamous,as was the ballet Swan Lake earlier? If it was intended as a piece of humour, it failed with me, if it was meant to signify high praise, as a onetime teacher of English Language and Literature I do suggest a dictionary should be consulted! Also, I was intrigued by a mention of ‘a broken stick effect ‘in the music but, alas, remained not much wiser about its meaning from reading the programme.
The last two offerings created no such problems as music, though by this time I was beginning to tire of the relentlessly over the top description in the programme of the wonders of the arrangers and artists. It didn’t really chime with the modesty of these players and is best left to those in our world for whom hype is their natural language. The 18th century theatre invented a character for such people by the name of Mr.Puff .
Anyway, the last two pieces, the quite beautiful arrangement of a Welsh folk song by Patrick Rimes and Sam Every’s Cha Cha did very much deserve praise , the latter bringing to an end the concert with a great swing which sent me out into the miserable Winter much warmed.
The Diary of a Leicester Concert-goer 