Romantic trombone concertos? What you see is correct, and even though I myself was a little perplexed when seeing these Danish works—most early to mid-20th century—pegged as “romantic”, skepticism reigned. But as it turns out, my suspicions were all for naught, for though I am not sure the term “romantic” really fills the bill here, they are indeed highly accessible, creatively crafted, and memorable works all. Whether the studied classicism of Vagn Holmboe’s Concerto No. 12, the flashy and sparkling Concerto Borealis of Søren Hyldgaard, the sensual beauties and passionate melodies of Axel Jørgensen’s Romance and Suite, or the dramatic, dark, and even Schumanesque felicities of the Concerto by Launy Grøndahl, this is one of the most striking discs to come my way in some time.
Believe me, ten minutes into this recording and you will forget that you’re listening to a specifically “trombone” disc as the music is so enthralling and integrated. The trombone is indeed the solo instrument here, but the symphonic nature of the music relegates it to just a part of a very important whole. It doesn’t feel like a concerto recording, but more like a symphony with trombone obbligato. Part of this is no doubt due to trombonist Jesper Juul, one of the very finest in the world, who sports a wonderfully supple sound with gorgeous Tommy Dorsey style vibrato, and has a lyrical bent to his playing that must be second nature. I simply cannot praise him, these pieces, and the beautiful orchestral support that the Danish players supply highly enough.
And if that wasn’t enough, we are lucky to have splendid surround sound that is spacious and rich in its depth, a true concert hall reproduction that shows the world why making anything but SACDs should be a criminal offense! Grab this disc—it is one of the best of the year of any format, an exhilarating experience.
— Steven Ritter
