FIRST SONG

Ben van Dijk

Review by Stephen Saunders, BBC Symphony Orchestra

First Song

Elgar Howarth, a worldwide authority on brass performance and music, wrote this month in the quarterly magazine Brass Herald about the changes happening to brass instruments over the last century. After mentioning how tubas may have balance problems, he didn't seem to have a good word about modern bass trombones. I quote:

Trombones too can prove awkward to contain. I am against the new, extra large bass trombones, finding little of musical value in what they produce. They are nuisance in the symphony orchestra, obtruding too easily, an abomination in the opera pit where they attract an attention better focused on stage, an ridiculous in the confines of the best brass band, which demands a flexibility of approach their gargantuan monstrosity precludes.

Well, it is obvious that Elgar Howarth (known as Gary in his trumpet-playing days), despite being a worldwide authority, has missed what has been going on in Rotterdam for several years now, or indeed what happens in the low brass department at the Royal Northern College of Music where he conducts the brass band. I am of course referring to Ben van Dijk's great contributions - bass trombonist in the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and a professor at the aforementioned College. We must rush a copy Ben's latest CD, First Song, to Gary ASAP, or he could order it from www.basstrombone.nl - Ben's excellent web site.

Yes, Ben van Dijk has made another superb solo CD after the great success of Nana his première disc. It opens with Wagner for Bass Bones, a medley of themes from the Ring - the marvellous sound of trombones playing marvellous music, and there is a great moment when Ben's Thein contrabass descends to a magnificent pedal E that is guaranteed to make you rewind and listen again.

The Concerto No. 1 by Lebedev and Bozza's New Orleans with Sonata Brève by Walter S. Hartley all on one album make this an absolutely compulsory purchase for every bass trombone student at every educational establishment in the world. These are textbook performances, perfect in every way for younger players to emulate. All the tracks demonstrate amazing stamina and control. If I did have a criticism, it would be that his use of vibrato sounds strange to British ears, but this is a stylistic thing. Vibrato is used more on the continent than here.

I mentioned Gary's complaint because I think it is a bit of an urban myth that modern instruments are so much bigger than the ones used before. For instance, the late Ray Premru in the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble (when Gary was a member) played a Holton TR169 and recent instruments haven't changed that much. Apart from adding extra plugs and a larger bell, it's basically the same instrument, and the bore size is more or less the same. It's just that the players do play much louder than they should and Gary has been an unlucky concert-goer. I wonder what Ben and Gary will say when the bump into each other at the Northern!

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ITF 2008