Review

Betsy L. Schramm
Starlight Images for solo trombone:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 1991
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - unaccompanied

This three-movement unaccompanied trombone solo was written for and premiered by Audrey Morrison at the International Trombone Festival in 1991. Completed just nine days after the beginning of the first Gulf War, Schramm dedicates this work “to all the lives and life that have suffered because of the war.” The piece is in three movements. The first, "The Metallic Glow of a Midnight Sky," has sudden dynamic changes. In a single page of music I count 16 occurrences of either forte-piano attacks or fortissimos followed immediately by piano or pianissimo. This, along with upward leaps of major 7ths or minor 9ths, helps to fuel the music, described by the composer as “very passionate, with great drama.” Tenor clef appears along with frequent meter changes all within a slow tempo. While this is not tonal, one will find parallel interval content here and there. 

The second movement, “Night Flights,” receives the indication, “Fast, driving, dancelike.” In her thorough instructions to the performer, Schramm instructs that this movement “uses a constant eighth-note pulse whose gropings [sic] are constantly changing.” As might be expected, the meters change, frequently relying mostly on 5/8, 3/8, and 2/4. Instead of wide intervals, we find chromatically winding material that reminds me of Anthony Plog’s writing. Again, dynamics change frequently and, as with the first movement, should be observed carefully. The final movement, “The Moon Was Weeping for the Sea,” is described by the composer as a “plaintive, wailing lament.” Schramm goes on to instruct the performer to “approximate the line (not the timbre) of a human voice singing an ornamented recitative.” Frequent meter changes are found along with more sudden dynamic changes.

All in all, this seems to be a heartfelt atonal work which requires careful attention to the score details for a successful performance. Given the compositional proximity to the Gulf War, the titles seem to imply a connection to the images of that war although the composer stops short of specifying this connection. As with any atonal work for unaccompanied trombone, patience on the part of the audience will be needed. Were I to perform this, I might preface the work by speaking a bit to help prepare the listeners. While it requires great concentration, I would not describe this as a physically exhausting piece. No extended techniques are employed. This piece is worth considering for a recital program needing something of this nature. In some ways it reminds me of Leslie Bassett’s Suite for Unaccompanied Trombone. 

The solo part is clean and well laid-out. I did spot one small error. In her instructions to the performer for the 1st movement, Schramm references material leading up to an E-flat in m.17. However in my music, m. 17 is a B-flat, not an E-flat. Perhaps this is a clef mistake.