Music for Trombone, Piano and Percussion

(2011) 14' / for trombone, piano, and percussion

commission for and premiered by Frederic Belli (trombone), Nicholas Rimmer (piano), and Johannes Fischer (percussion) on June 28th, 2011 in Ravensburg, Germany

Composer's note

Most of my works up to 2010 have had programmatic or non-musical starting points and are often part of a larger concert program. For instance, 20 French Songs (2006) is part of the concert The Phonometrograph Erik Satie. Or the works are commissioned for specific occasions, such as Inner Antiphony - Fanfare for Orchestra and two Percussionists (2009), which was written for the opening of the year commemorating the 200th birth year of Robert Schumann. But if I am allowed to follow my desires when composing, then I would prefer to write ‘Absolute Music’; music which is only referential to itself and is not bound to any non-musical dramatic concepts. My Music for Trombone and Orchestra (2010) is such a work that I was free to compose with no outside influences or stipulation. Since I was commissioned to write  Music for Trombone, Piano, and Percussion (2011) directly after the similar-sounding titled trombone concerto – and actually while I was practicing the concerto myself – I needed to be practical and thought I would generously use material from the solo trombone voice of the concerto and built it into a new the trio setting. However, while composing I heard so many new, interesting sonic and structural possibilities that luckily I only did some borrowing from the concerto for the final portion of the trio. Although all three parts are quite virtuosic, the trombone part – having been written by a trombonist – might be just a little bit more challenging. „Use it, or lose it“ is the saying and I didn’t want the trombonist to get rusty. Good luck!

- Mike Svoboda, 2012