It turns out that Gustav Holst wrote a work for chorus and orchestra that uses a contrabass trombone.
Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1
With the onset of winter and an all-Russian programme in the orchestra, what better way to kickstart 2015 than by taking a look at Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13? We will be performing this work in a few days’ time and have been tirelessly dedicating ourselves to approaching it in the right style.
Contrabass trombone repertoire
In an effort to clear up some of the confusion about classical works scored for the contrabass trombone, I wrote a post in February 2008 on The Trombone Forum. Although this was aimed at compiling a list of works explicitly scored by the composer for the contrabass trombone, it did also touch on works that are sometimes performed using a contrabass trombone,
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
Bruckner’s symphonies almost always seem to pose a conundrum because of the multiple versions that exist of every single symphony. Whatever the reasons for Bruckner’s insecurity, he was prone to rewriting his symphonies after receiving criticism, particularly following the first playthroughs by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and as a result we have the added complexity of multiple versions of each symphony existing.
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6
There is no question that Tchaikovsky’s last symphony contains some of the most challenging, yet also some of the most rewarding music for the orchestral trombone section. The writing is consistently idiomatic and well thought out. The trombones and tuba have plenty of opportunities to shine in both loud and soft dynamics.
