Richard Strauss's opera Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman Without a Shadow) was written between 1911 and 1917. He regarded it as one of his most important works. After an unenthusiastic opening night, it has now become part of the standard operatic repertoire.

Randall Malmstrom has brilliantly arranged some of the most outstanding parts of the opera for an 8-part Trombone Ensemble appropriate for advanced performers.

Nabucco is the opera which established Verdi's reputation as a great composer and even he realized its importance as he noted "this is the opera with which my artistic career really begins".

iTromboni alum Kenneth Pearce and Andrew Poirier have skillfully set the Overture to "Nabucco" to highlight the beautiful melodies and technical flare in their arrangement for trombone quintet (2 altos, 2 tenors, bass). As in the original, it all begins with a stately trombone chorale, hints at the big melody of ?Va, pensiero? (the great chorus of the Hebrew slaves) and reaches its energetic conclusion full of gusto!

This arrangement is suitable for advanced performers and can be heard on iTromboni?s debut album: ?there goes the neighbourhood?.

Wagner composed five songs or lieder for voice and piano in 1857-58 based on poems by Mathilde Wesendonck, the wife of one of his patrons, and have thus been known as the Wesendonck Lieder over time. Three of them: Der Engel (The Angel), Schmerzen (Sorrows), and Träume (Dreams) have been beautifully arranged for solo Trombone (may be performed on Tenor or Bass Trombone) and 5-part Trombone Ensemble by Bob Burnham. They are very beautiful to listen to!

Of musical interest....Wagner inscribed the movement Träume as being a "study for Tristan and Isolde".

The three movements are about 9-minutes in length and this arrangement is appropriate for moderately advanced to advanced performers and will add a great deal of musical depth to your recital or concert.

La Peri is a ballet in one act by Paul Dukas, written in 1912 and first performed in Paris. The Fanfare was originally scored for full brass ensemble, however this great arrangement for Trombone Quintet by Andrew Poirier is one of the favorites of the Canadian Trombone Ensemble iTromboni.

For advanced performers, the work is about 2 minutes in length.