Review

Tomaso Albinoni
Adagio for Trombone and Strings: arranged for trombone and string quartet

Arranged by Sean F. Biehn

solo trombone and string quartet

Vancouver, BC, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2011
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with orchestra

It is by no means clear how much of this piece was written by Albinoni (1671-1751), and how much by his biographer, Remo Giazotto (1910-1998). However, there is no doubting its genuine beauty and popular appeal. This arrangement in the original key of
g minor is well written for the trombone. Octave transpositions within the melody have been used to avoid some high notes, but a secure upper register is required. The melody includes up to seven consecutive groups of 16ths and needs a good legato technique. There are 41 full measures of rest in the trombone part out of a total 143 measures, including repeat section. Tempo marking is Adagio espressivo ♩=55, range extends from c to e-flat2; optional octave transposition leaves b-flat1 as the highest note. This seems quite a nice piece to play on alto trombone. Sean Biehn is currently studying for his DMA in Trombone Performance at the Michigan State University School of Music.

-Keith Davies Jones
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada