Review

Christopher Alan Schmitz
Bass Trombone Concerto: : Call of the Opera
Bass trombone solo and orchestra

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2021
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score.

Primary Genre: Solo Bass/Contrabass Trombone - with orchestra

Christopher Alan Schmitz, Professor of Music at the Mercer University Townsend School of Music, composed his Bass Trombone Concerto for Denson Paul Pollard, bass trombonist of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and member of the Indiana University Jacob’s School of Music faculty. Subtitled “Call of the Opera,” the work is full of subtle references to operatic works. The key word is “subtle,” as any obvious statements of classic opera excerpts would likely distract the listener from enjoying the work as a whole.

There is also a version with piano, titled Sonata for Bass Trombone, which was previously reviewed by Douglas Yeo in ITAJ Volume 50, Number 2, 2022, and a recording of Dr. Pollard performing that version is available on YouTube. The Concerto version for soloist with orchestra is reviewed here. As one might expect, the solo parts of the two versions are nearly identical and the piano accompaniment is a good representation of the orchestral parts. Scored for strings and percussion along with pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, trumpets, and horns, the orchestral parts do not appear unusually challenging and should be within the capabilities of a good collegiate orchestra. Virtuosity is required in the solo part, however; the outer movements in particular have long passages of triplets and sextuplets that need to be articulated clearly in faster tempos.

Those familiar with the Sonata will notice a few differences in the Concerto. Most of the changes are subtle, essentially giving the soloist a few extra measures of rest while the solo line is distributed to other instruments. These are typically three measures or less with one episode of seven measures near the end of movement two. The obvious difference is the addition of a solo cadenza at the end of movement one. Common in traditional three-movement concerti, the cadenza provides the soloist an additional opportunity to dazzle the audience with more rapid, angular, articulated phrases.

While nearly all of the work is written in a manageable range for an advanced player, ranging FF-b², there is one f² six bars from the end that could convincingly be played down the octave. The true difficulty lies in the rapid, angular passages requiring clean single and multiple tonguing along with the endurance necessary to perform the work in its entirety. It is certainly a substantial work that deserves a place in the repertoire. The work may be aspirational for many at this time, but as more players take it on and adapt to its demands, it is likely to become even more appreciated in the future.