A feast of trombone related antics recently took place in the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.

Showcase

The afternoon event showcased not only the Academy’s own trombone department in a diverse and wide-ranging programme but also the staff, all of whom are professional musicians working in the nearby orchestras in the hub of artistic and cultural activity in Glasgow.

Played and talked

During the day, the trombone was played and talked about in its many contexts.

Chris Stearn (Bass trombone of Scottish Opera and teacher at the Academy) gave a fascinating talk about the trombone in the nineteenth century.

He illuminated his talk with an appreciation of why the instrument suffered a demise with the rise in popularity of the valve trombone at that time, before its slide counterpart returned to prominence as the instrument of choice.

He also enhanced his presentation with demonstrations on instruments over 100 years old.

Other end of spectrum

At the other end of the spectrum were performances of contemporary solo works such as Brian Lynn’s ‘Doolallynastics’ (originally written for John Kenny), Enrique Crespo’s ‘Improvisation No 1’ and a world premiere of Tim Cooper’s ‘Soliloquy II’ for contra bass trombone, performed by Gordon Seith.

Simon Johnson (Principal trombone BBC SSO), directed the large trombone ensemble in an enjoyable programme which included Nelhybel’s ‘Tower Music’ and an arrangement of the ‘Infernal Dance’ from Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird Suite’.

An enjoyable massed blow rounded off an afternoon that highlighted the incredible trombone-related talent of the RSAMD’s staff and students4BR

Fascinating

One particularly fascinating part of the day was the appearance of the RSNO trombone section, courtesy of Antoine Courtois, featuring current RSAMD student Davur Juul Magnussen.

They led an insightful session into the world of playing in an orchestral section, which included playing some of the ‘big’ excerpts and working with some student ‘guinea pig’ sections in the process.

An enjoyable massed blow rounded off an afternoon that highlighted the incredible trombone-related talent of the RSAMD’s staff and students.