Review

Axel Jørgensen
Melodie (Le Soir):

Arranged by Niels-Ole Bo Johansen

Solo trombone and orchestra

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2022
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with orchestra

Axel Jørgensen was a Danish composer from the early part of the 20th century. In the late 1970s his Romance, op.21, was recorded by Carsten Svanberg. More recently Danish trombonist, Niels-Ole Bo Johansen, has become a champion of his countryman. He has rediscovered and edited Melodie for trombone and orchestra. This delightful work highlights the songful and the dramatic qualities of the trombone.

The work is set in a simple, ternary form. Jørgensen writes in an accessible post-romantic idiom. One can even hear hints of impressionism. It begins in D-flat major, marked Andante espressivo, and features lyrical, ascending melodic figures. A brief orchestral modulation moves the key center to E-flat major. The tempo quickens and the mood shifts from lyrical to dramatic. The opening section returns but with a more dramatic flair.

The trombone part is given in tenor clef. It rises to b-flat2 and ends on an optional d-flat2. An advanced intermediate player will be challenged by Melodie. It requires facile movement between registers and mature musical decision making. More advanced players will find the work satisfying and will have opportunity for meaningful interpretive decisions.

Melodie is scored for strings, four horns, pairs of woodwinds, harp, and timpani. Jørgensen was a deft orchestrator, and the expressiveness of the work is profoundly deepened by the orchestration. While it is difficult to envision an orchestra programming a five-minute work for solo trombone, should the opportunity arise, this work will rise to the occasion.