[Trombone-l] Arutiunian Trombone Concerto

[Michael Lomas]

Hello,
    Last year, I gave two performances of the Arutiunian trombone concerto (in the composer's trombone/piano version). You rarely hear anything about this piece, written in 1990, possibly as it tends to be overshadowed by the earlier Trumpet Concerto. This is a pity, because it is great music - very playable, melodious and well-suited to the trombone's idiom. The music of Arutiunian's native Armenia is never far from the surface. Range and endurance demands are manageable, with no extended techniques to bother about. The orchestral version (recorded by Slokar) is very well scored (as Arutiunian's works tend to be) and is most exciting. I would love to play this with an orchestra some time; it is, for my money, one of the most important works in our repertoire. I thought that other subscribers might like to check it out (published by Editions BIM) - if they haven't already - I would recommend it unreservedly.
    Best wishes, 
            Dr. Mike Lomas.