Thom Ritter George

CONCERTO FOR BASS TROMBONE AND ORCHESTRA, CN 176 (1964)

                         PROGRAM NOTES

Thom Ritter George's CONCERTO FOR BASS TROMBONE AND ORCHESTRA was completed on February 12, 1964 for George's friend Robert Brawn.  Mr. Brawn gave the first performance with the Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dr. Paul White, Associate Conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic.  This premiere was given in Kilbourne Hall, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, on March 18, 1964.

The score bears the dedication "To Emory Remington and Robert S. Brawn: the Master and his pupil."  Mr. Remington, the legendary trombone professor at the Eastman School, befriended Dr. George during his student days and exposed the composer to the beauty of fine trombone performances, both in solos and in ensembles.

The CONCERTO FOR BASS TROMBONE is written in one movement comprised of four major sections.  The music opens with a quiet introduction for divided strings.  Here, the scale-like theme which is to dominate the score is played by the low strings.  The solo bass trombone repeats and then expands this main theme.  The second section is a spirited "Allegro" showing the virtuoso qualities of the bass trombone, particularly large leaps into the low range.  The orchestral climax of the "Allegro" leads to a cadenza played by the solo instrument.  The last measures of the cadenza lead directly to the final section, a fugue, begun by the bass trombone, answered by the instruments of the brass section, and eventually taken up by the whole orchestra.

The CONCERTO was published in August 1964 and has since become a standard work in the bass trombone repertoire.

(TRGcm:2000.04.09)