Search - Vagn Holmboe, Owain Arwel Hughes, Ålborg Symphony Orchestra :: Vagn Holmboe: Brass Concertos

Pleasant, but only the Tuba Concerto is Holmboe at his best

Christopher Culver | 12/27/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This BIS disc features four concertos for brass instruments by the Danish composer Vagn Holmboe. The soloists are among the world's greatest performers for their instrument: trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger, trombonist Christian Lindberg and tubist Jens Bjorn Larsen. Owain Arwel Hughes conducts the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra.



The first concertos that Vagn Holmboe wrote don't even mention their solo instrument in their titles, being called only Concerto No. X. This emphasizes that Holmboe's foremost concern during this period was not exploration of timbres, or continuing the old tradition of what certain instruments mean, but new ways of structuring a dialogue between forces, pushing the boundaries of his neo-classical style. Some of these early concertos, such as the one for piano, are powerful. However, I find the Concerto No. 11 op. 44 for trumpet and orchestra (1948) and the Concerto No. 12 op. 52 for trombone and orchestra (1950) to be unmemorable.



Holmboe wrote his Tuba Concerto op. 127 much later, in 1976. By this point, the composer's music had become darker and knottier. This piece opens with a storm in the orchestra, which subsides enough to let the soloist enter, but is never entirely peaceful. The cadenza falls almost halfway through and features some extended techniques. Indeed, of Holmboe's concertos, this has a more virtuosic solo part than most, and you may be surprised that the tuba has such a range of sounds. After a confrontational passage between the orchestra and soloist, Holmboe lets the tuba have the last word, and this bit might have you chuckle.



The "Intermezzo Concertante" op. 171 for tuba and orchestra (1987) is, as its title suggests, a refresher between two more substantial pieces. It vaguely looks back to Bartok's string works, and while it holds no especial surprises, its timbral balance of strings and tuba is lovely.



Of the four pieces here, only the Tuba Concerto is Holmboe at his best, making this a somewhat less essential BIS disc. If you've never heard the music of this great Danish composer before, try the Symphony No. 8."