Review

Armand Russell
Short and Suite:
Solo trombone

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2019
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - unaccompanied

Armand Russell (b.1932) has a doctorate in composition from Eastman; he is a prolific composer and played double bass professionally. He was Chair of the Music Department at the University of Hawaii, retiring in 1994 as Professor Emeritus. He now lives in Santa Rosa, California.

Short and Suite is written in a freely chromatic style without key signatures. Its range is G-g-flat¹; bass clef is used throughout. There are four short and well contrasted movements. The first, Intrada: Moderato ♩=100 (1:19) features a meter signature of 3/4. The first eight measures are actually in 6/8, and a play of two versus three continues throughout this movement. The second, Air: Singing ♩=114 (1:50) calls for cup mute or ‘hat in stand.’ The outer sections in 5/4 have alternating patterns of 2+3 and 3+2; the middle section is in 3/4. The third movement, Scherzo is marked Lively ♩=132 (1:32) and calls for straight mute. Dynamic markings in this section range from pp to ff. The fourth, Burlesca is marked Moderately fast ♩=108 (1:58). Though not strictly ‘serial,’ all 12 tones are introduced in the first three measures.

Each movement has a distinct identity and a compelling inner logic. When I played through this piece, I found that I was often anticipating the next phrase or measure, and it was easier to play than I thought it would be. I think this is a significant addition to the repertoire for solo trombone, and may quite soon become a popular recital selection.