Jan Sandström‘s 3rd trombone concerto, “Les accords d’Eze” was recently given its world premiere, with Christian Lindberg as the trombone soloist. The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra accompanied him under the baton of Barbara Hannigan, who also had duties as soprano soloist.
The Swede Jan Sandström (1954-) is one of very few composers who have written 3 major trombone concertos. His first one, The Motorbike Concerto from 1989 was incredibly succesful, and it has been performed over 700 times all over the world. His Trombone Concerto No. 2, Don Quixote was premiered in 1994. He has also written several shorter pieces for trombone, including scaled down versions and revisions of his 2 first concertos. Sång till Lotta from 1990 has been a world wide recital favourite for students and professional trombonists alike. It is recommended to also explore his lesser known pieces, such as A Christian Song and Bompibone BrassBitt.
Sandström’s 3rd trombone concerto is a tribute to the 37 year long close friendship between the composer and the trombone soloist. The subtitle Les accords d’Eze, refers to a mountain village north of Nice in France, which Sandström and Lindberg visited together in the early 1990s. It has 5 movements, and is a virtuosic but less extroverted concerto than his previous two.
The concerto received a standing ovation in the Gothenburg Concert hall on the premiere on the 4th of Octobre 2023. The piece was commissioned by the record company European Gramophone, which Christian Lindberg co-founded in 2019.
Eyvind Sommerfelt
ITA Online News Coordinator