The Baroque Trombone
Dario CASTELLO (c.1590-c.1658)
Sonata Quinta for violin, trombone and basso continuo (from Sonate
Concertate In Stil Moderno, Libro I, 1621) [4:41]
Sonata Duodecima for 2 violins, trombone and basso continuo (from Sonate
Concertate In Stil Moderno, Libro II, 1629) [7:43]
ANONYMOUS
Sonata for trombone and harpsichord/organ [4:14]
Daniel SPEER (1636-1707)
Sonata à 3 and Gigue for 2 violins, trombone and basso continuo
[4:21]
Girolamo FRESCOBALDI (1583-1643)
Canzon 1-4 for trombone and harpsichord/organ [15:28]
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von BIBER (1644-1704)
Sonata à 3 for 2 violins, trombone and basso continuo [5:57]
Dario CASTELLO (c.1590-c.1658)
Sonata Quarta for violin, trombone and basso continuo [4:09]
Giovanni Martino
CESARE (1590-1667)
La Hieronyma for trombone and harpsichord (from Musicali Melodie, 1621)
[2:19]
Antonio BERTALI (1605-1669)
Sonata à 3 for 2 violins, trombone and basso continuo [5:17]
Christian Lindberg trombone (sackbut)
Soloists of the Australian Chamber Orchestra: (Richard Tognetti (violin I);
Helena Rathbone (violin II); Timo-Veikko (valve cello); Maxime Bibeau (double-bass);
Neal Peres da Costa (harpsichord/organ)
rec. September 2007, Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Centre, Sydney, Australia. DDD.
Stereo
BIS-CD-1688 [56:30]
Given Christian Lindberg’s comprehensive exploration of the repertoire
of the modern trombone, it is perhaps unsurprising that he has now turned his
attentions to the 17th century repertoire of its predecessor, the
sackbut. What is more surprising is that he plays this music on a copy of a
period instrument. Lindberg has the most distinctive trombone sound of any
living player, a combination of idiosyncratic (but usually appropriate) phrasing
and a subtle, quite shallow vibrato which he often applies to the ends of longer
notes. His performances on the modern instrument are also characterised by
an impressive roundness of tone in the upper register.
Curiously, all of these features are just as evident on this disc as they are
on any of his others, leading me to speculate about what sort of a sackbut
he is using. No illustration is given in the liner - surely a missed opportunity
considering what an iconic object the sackbut can be - but we are told that
it is a Meinl und Lauber copy of the Erasmus Schnitzler instrument of 1551
in the collection of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremburg. This is
the earliest surviving trombone anywhere in the world, so we are talking about
a peashooter bore diameter (similar to a modern trumpet), a bell that would
fit comfortably in your hand, plate stays that would sit rather less comfortably
in the player’s hand, and a very heavy outer slide. Certainly, Lindberg’s
tone has a woolly quality here from the instrument’s small bell, but
his agility in the fast music suggests much lighter metals have been used to
construct the slide of this copy than were used in the original. His instrument
performs best in the middle to upper register, but can become congested lower
down. Most interestingly of all, the sound has little of the throaty quality
one would expect from a sackbut mouthpiece with a sharply defined rim at the
throat (at the centre of the cup). The mouthpiece used here is described as
a ‘Christian Lindberg baroque model mouthpiece’, presumably some
compromise between these early styles and more modern conventions.
In terms of performance technique, Lindberg says he has taken advice from his
brother, the lutenist Jakob Lindberg. His light ornamentation endears these
performances, giving a sense of constructive and creative engagement with the
17th century scores. Phrasing is achieved through gradations of
both dynamics and articulation, allowing the music an almost vocal vitality
without straying too far from the narrow stylistic confines of the age. The
music is from Italian and German sources, the most familiar names Frescobaldi
and Biber, the former’s canzonas in a fairly straightforward, unpretentious
style, the latter providing a sonata in a more proto-classical gallante mode.
Of the other composers, Dario Castello moves between the two, alternating canonic
counterpoint with passages of a recitative-like simplicity. Daniel Speer, a
name probably known among brass players, constructs elegant and lively instrumental
works from dance forms, his Gigue a particularly sprightly example.
Lindberg is accompanied throughout by members of the Australian Chamber Orchestra,
whose credentials in early music hardly need stating. Richard Tognetti finds
an ideal light yet earthy tone in his violin timbre to complement the sackbut,
while Neal Peres de Costa excels as continuo accompanist on harpsichord and
chamber organ. Balance between the players, whether worked out between themselves
or adjusted in post-production, is ideal throughout, and the tricky balance
of sackbut and harpsichord never becomes a problem.
This is an idiosyncratic take on the music of the trombone’s predecessor.
But then, Christian Lindberg brings an idiosyncratic approach to every project
he commences. I personally, like the sackbut to sound further removed from
the tone of the modern trombone, but that is not necessarily an authenticity
issue. These performances stand up well on their own terms, and for the many
collectors of Lindberg’s growing discography, it will provide a satisfying
complement to his many concerto recordings.
Gavin Dixon
An idiosyncratic take on the music of the trombone’s predecessor ...
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