Review

Axel Jørgensen
Romance Opus 21:

Arranged by Christian A. Eriksen


Vancouver, BC, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2014
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with band

Axel Jørgensen, a Danish composer from the early part of the 20th Century, is overshadowed by his countryman, Carl Nielsen. Nielsen, although he scored compellingly for brass, wrote no works for solo trombone. Jørgensen, however, provides us with several pieces that have found their way into the trombone repertoire: Suite Op.22 and especially Romance Op.21. His winsome, lyrical compositional style reflects the language of the late 19th Century and makes this work easily accessible to the concert-going audience.
 
Originally for trombone and orchestra, Romance was written in 1916 apparently for Jørgensen’s colleague in the Royal Danish Orchestra, Anton Hansen. It is organized in a three-part form. The opening section, in A-flat major, is both lyrical and theatrical. Its melodies span the trombone registers, and its tempos fluctuate from an opening Moderato to a poco stringendo that dramatically closes the section. The middle section, marked Vivo, is more harmonically murky. It flirts with D major, a tri-tone away from A flat, but makes forays into other tonalities via enharmonic chord spellings. The mood of the music is intense and transitional and moves compellingly into the final section. The opening melody returns momentarily and the piece moves gradually toward a peaceful close.
 
We are most accustomed to performing the Jørgensen Romance with piano reduction. Christian Eriksen has taken the original orchestral version and helpfully scored it for trombone solo and band. The setting is satisfying but not difficult, making it accessible to many high school bands. The availability of this beautiful work for trombone and band expands its possibility for performance. Trombonists have the opportunity to perform in front of large ensembles relatively rarely, and Eriksen’s work gives us one more option.

-Paul Overly
Bob Jones University