Discography
Solo Recording - David Bruchez
David Bruchez is obviously a deep thinking musician who seems heavily commited to taking the trombone to the edge of its expressive potential... his command of conventional technique is astounding, with flawless, supple legato, perfectly controlled phrases and an extended dynamic range. When this is combined with multiphonics...he reveals perfectly how extending the technique of the trombone can be made to serve the interest of musical expression rather then becoming just an amusing diversion. His structural awarness, his feeling for musical atmosphere and ability to create dramatic tension are nowhere better illustrated than in his readind of the ballade by Frank Martin, where, although the tempi are livelier than we are used to, he reminds us why this piece has become one of the jewel of the trombonist's repertoire... [The Trombonist]
Content
Juraj Filas is Slovakian and lives in Prague. His musical language is very lyrical and emotionally charged, in expression it is between neoclassicism and neo-romanticism. The sonata "At the end of the century" for trombone and piano was first performed at Loèche-les-Bains in October 1997. As a member of the audience I was struck by the expressive power of this work. For me the work expresses extremely well the ambiguity of the end of the last century, between the comfort of modern technology, which promises to make our lives perfect, pain-free, simpler in every way, and the wars we are apparently incapable of preventing.
"Paroles" for soprano and trombone is a work written by the Swiss composer François Catin, born in 1972 in the Jura. He learned the music through the trombone; his body of work contains numerous compositions for spectacles and for the theatre. The work "Paroles" makes use of texts from the Bible in 3 languages: Pater Noster Matthew 6. 9-13 in Latin, Résurrection Matthew 28. 5-7 in French and Glory, Holy Spirit Acts 2. 1-3/ Revelation 22.17 in English. I decided to distribute the 3 movements throughout the disc as I wished to let the listener experience the work as a contrast, or a complement, to the rest of the programme.
Robert Schumann needs no further introduction. His "Romances op.94" recorded here, were originally written for oboe and piano, with the option of playing them on clarinet, violin or cello·I think the publisher simply "forgot" to state that the trombone could do them justice just as successfully.
Jean-François Michel, a Swiss composer for whom I have great affection and admiration, held the principal trumpet chair in the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra for 10 years; currently he devotes himself to composition, he also teaches trumpet at the Conservatoire Supérieur in Geneva and at the Conservatoire in Fribourg. In memoriam for trombone and piano, a work I was privileged to premiere in March 2000, was inspired by his father's funeral: the cortège, the reflection of the intense moments of communal life. The final section could be entitled "Dona eis requiem", expressing the desire for everlasting happiness and the hope to meet again on the other side.
"Paroles" for soprano and trombone is a work written by the Swiss composer François Catin, born in 1972 in the Jura. He learned the music through the trombone; his body of work contains numerous compositions for spectacles and for the theatre. The work "Paroles" makes use of texts from the Bible in 3 languages: Pater Noster Matthew 6. 9-13 in Latin, Résurrection Matthew 28. 5-7 in French and Glory, Holy Spirit Acts 2. 1-3/ Revelation 22.17 in English. I decided to distribute the 3 movements throughout the disc as I wished to let the listener experience the work as a contrast, or a complement, to the rest of the programme.
Robert Schumann needs no further introduction. His "Romances op.94" recorded here, were originally written for oboe and piano, with the option of playing them on clarinet, violin or cello·I think the publisher simply "forgot" to state that the trombone could do them justice just as successfully.
Jean-François Michel a Swiss composer for whom I have great affection and admiration, held the principal trumpet chair in the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra for 10 years; currently he devotes himself to composition, he also teaches trumpet at the Conservatoire Supérieur in Geneva and at the Conservatoire in Fribourg. Rogations for 4 trombones was inspired by a religious festival in his native town of Fribourg. In the first section, Eveil et incantation, with the animalsâ awakening, while the priest is chanting, nature awakes; the second section contains the Danse de la nature; the third and last section is the Procession. To Jean-François Michel it represents a catholic procession, while to my producer it is more of a "March of the Dinosaur"!
8. François Catin, "Paroles - Glory Holy Spirit.
"Paroles" for soprano and trombone is a work written by the Swiss composer François Catin, born in 1972 in the Jura. He learned the music through the trombone; his body of work contains numerous compositions for spectacles and for the theatre. The work "Paroles" makes use of texts from the Bible in 3 languages: Pater Noster Matthew 6. 9-13 in Latin, Résurrection Matthew 28. 5-7 in French and Glory, Holy Spirit Acts 2. 1-3/ Revelation 22.17 in English. I decided to distribute the 3 movements throughout the disc as I wished to let the listener experience the work as a contrast, or a complement, to the rest of the programme.
Frank Martin, one of the great Swiss composers, wrote his famous "Ballade" for trombone and piano in response to a commission by the ICMP in Geneva in 1940 for its trombone competition. It has since become one of the highlights in the instrumentâs repertoire, both in the version with piano recorded on this disc and in the version orchestrated by Frank Martin's great friend, Ernest Ansermet.
10. Arthur Honegger, Hommage du trombone.
When once unable to accept an invitation by Serge Koussevitzky from the across the ocean Arthur Honegger (1892-1955) wrote for him, in June 1925 at Mézières: Hommage du trombone exprimant la tristesse de lâauteur absent. A really beautiful melody.
The celebrated Concertino op. 4 by Ferdinand David played again and again by trombonists in all the conservatories and competitions, is the final work in this programme. All credit to Ingo Luis for arranging this concerto for 4 trombones and piano in such a way as to give disenchanted trombonists the desire to tackle the concerto from a different angle
Orchestral Recordings
Opernhaus Zürich (DVD)
Welser-Möst
Humperdinkel "Hansel und Gretel" (TDK) 1999
Mozart "Zauberflöte” (TDK) 2000
Strauss "Simplicius” ? (EMI) 1999
Berg "LULU” 2002
Strauss "Rosenkavalier“ 2004
Wagner "Tannhäuser” (EMI) 2003
Wagner "Meistersinger” (EMI) 2004
Verdi "La Traviata" (EMI) 2005
Verdi "Macbeth" 2001
Harnoncourt
Mozart "Don Giovanni"
Monteverdi "Il ritorno d’Ulysse in Patria"
Weber "Freischütz"
Fedoseyev
Prokofiev "Cinderella"
Tonhalle Orchester Zürich
Zinman
Strauss “MacBeth” 1999
Berliner Philharmoniker :
Claudio Abbado
Dvorak 9. Sinfonie from the New World 1996 (DG)
Bernard Haintink
Herzog Blaubart Burg 96
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne
Zacharias
Schumann Introduction and Allegro » 10.2000
Stravinsky Pulcinella (TV) (1.2005)
Lopez Cobos
Mozart Requiem (TV) (3.1998)
