TROMBONE CONCERTO
CONCERTINO FOR CLARINET AND STRINGS, by Adrian Cruft, English price 8/6. CONCERTO FOR CELLO AND STRINGS, by Gordon Jacob, 15/-. CONCERTO FOR TROMBONE AND ORCHESTRA, by. Gordon Jacob, 12/6. All published by Joseph Williams Ltd., London. DRIAN CRUFT is a young English composer who, by virture of several competently written works, has secured for himself a niche in the catalogue of Joseph Williams. His Concertino for Clarinet and Strings, in three move-ments-dedicated to Dr Gordon Jacob on his 60th birthday -is constructed with a craftsmanship that must have gratified Mr Cruft’s illustrious teacher. The work is confidently written and freely utilises a dissonant harmonic idiom that is not without its appeal. There is a directness in the composer’s economy of ideas and notation which together with several interesting instrumental timbres, gives added attraction to the work. If anything, Mr Cruft’s ideas are a little too fragrhentary to
provide a really convincing continuity to the work as a whole. Of recent years Dr Jacob has made some really distinguished contributions to the repertoires of some of the "forgotten" instruments of the orchestra. Notable are his concertos for such instruments as the flute, oboe, bassoon and cor anglais. His latest ventures into the concerto field have produced something of a mixed bag. His Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra is a little disappointing, and not as gratifying as some of his other productions. Had the work come from a lesser composer it might have arrested attention for a slightly longer period. While one may not agree with Dr Jacob’s selectiveness of ideas, there is no disputing his supreme craftsmanship in handling the orchestra. The Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, on the other hand, really "comes off." The solo part, by no means easy, has several striking ideas which the composer fully exploits on the instrument. These ideas, coupled with the type of orchestration for which Dr Jacob is without peer today, make this work an absolute winner. It is brilliant and effective and well worthy of perform-
ance.
A.D.
H.
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 935, 12 July 1957, Page 16
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340TROMBONE CONCERTO New Zealand Listener, Volume 37, Issue 935, 12 July 1957, Page 16
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