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.

Symphony No. 9 in D minor by Anton Bruckner is his final work, unfinished and in 3 movements. Randall Malmstrom has arranged another great excerpt from the Austrian master, the Coda of Movement I for an 8-part Trombone Ensemble.

The Coda is solemn, majestic, spiritual, and leaves the listener spellbound, its effect being so overwhelming.

The arrangement of about 3 1/2 minutes in length is appropriate for advanced performers. The top part is in alto clef.

Here is what the arranger, Ross Holcombe says about his great scoring of this wonderful and unique work by Ives.

Ives finished the majority of his Concord Sonata, from which this movement is excerpted, in 1915. According to Ives, the piece reflects on the old Alcott house in Concord, MA, but I feel a greater struggle in this work than a mere journal about a piece of architecture. The fact that Ives quotes Beethoven?s 5th Symphony so extensively makes me wonder about his views on destiny, fate, the future, and the creative process.

The piece starts serenely but quickly devolves into uncertainty, doubt, and anger. A floating interlude brings us back to distant memories where we remember that we are shaped by our past, but have control of the direction of our future. Building on that realization and quickly gaining steam, the piece ends with a powerful and joyful climax. The angry Beethoven theme is transformed into one of power, hope, and light. A feeling of calm and contentment ends the piece, finally coming to rest on one simple C major chord.

This work is scored for 10 trombones: 1 alto, 7 tenor, and 2 bass trombones and is appropriate for advanced performers.

Item Number: S0.703425

Jan Freidlin's lush and beautiful Romantic Concerto for Trombone and Piano (reduction) was composed in 2004 and is in the traditional three movements. The 15-minute work is appropriate for advanced performers.

Below is what the composer has written about his work:

"Written in 2004 , this composition combines three contrasting movements, however their style is not typical of a classical concerto, nor of a romantic work.

The 1st movement - Moderato has a long recitative-like introduction performed by the soloist over a background of aleatoric sounds. The tonality is indefinite with many harmonic changes.

The music gradually builds up more and more leading the listener to the 2nd movement - Vivace energico in which there is, added rhythmic complexity. In the 2nd movement the main motive from the 1st movement is reintroduced and the mood gains in intensity with various syncopated rhythmic phrases as the piano and solo Trombonist accelerate together into a major climax.

With the energy drained out of the music by the conclusion of the 2nd movement the listener is brought to the 3rd movement - Adagietto. This movement is absolutely lyrical, elegiac and unexpectedly tonal. Its main melody has an atmosphere of nostalgia leading to the emotional center of the whole work, the softest climax of the Concerto . The soloist plays it in many tonalities, then gradually this warm wave eases, leaving the listener in a cathartic condition.

The Concerto contains many virtuosic moments for the soloist that sound very expressive and heroic."

Jan Freidlin

The mp3 sample contains a segment of each movement from a live performance of the Concerto performed by the Odessa Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Conductor Igor Shavruk and Trombone solist Andrei Sokolov.

Earth Summoner for Unaccompanied Bass Trombone by Jason Beghtol is a 7-minute work for moderately advanced performers in one complete movement in seven contrasting sections of alternating slow and fast.

This work is a very good vehicle for learning rhythmic solidity in the fast sections and developing an expressive singing legato in the slow sections.