Review

Ole Olsen
Konsert for Trombone og Orkester.:

Arranged by Christian A. Eriksen


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

piano reduction

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano
Secondary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with orchestra

Christian Eriksen’s edition of the Ole Olsen trombone concerto is a much needed improvement over the original hand-written version. Not only is the computerized engraving beautiful and far more legible, Eriksen has corrected the many errors from the original manuscript—particularly in the piano reduction.
 
Many trombonists may unfortunately not be familiar with the Olsen concerto. It is a late romantic work with a harmonic language similar to that of Edvard Grieg or Antonín Dvořák and is of about the same performance length and compositional scope as the Ferdinand David Concertino. Its three movements were designed to be performed attacca. The first and third movements are both written in F major and share thematic material, although the third contains many more virtuosic passages. The second movement is a refreshing departure to D minor and features a beautiful, haunting melody.
 
Christian Eriksen’s edition makes this wonderful concerto more accessible to future generations of trombonists. With a range spanning from A to c2, the Ole Olsen concerto should be manageable by most college level trombonists and many strong high school level players. It is the perfect addition to balance out any recital program!

-Greg Strohman
Dickinson College