The trombone concerto by the Norwegian composer Ørjan Matre was premiered on the 21st of November this year, with Sverre Riise as the trombone soloist. The concerto has the unusual title “…I have said this before…” and is a 21 minutes long piece in 3 movements. It demands a rich palette of sound colors, from both the soloist and the orchestra. The concerto sits firmly in the Scandinavian contemporary tradition, drawing inspiration from solo works for trombone by Bent Sørensen and Arne Nordheim. A study score of the concerto can be found here.
This is not the first time this composer and soloist have collaborated. Sverre Riise released the solo album “Snarks in the Kitchen” in 2015, which includes Matre’s “…since I say it now”* for trombone and piano. The related piece “…But I must have said this before…” for trombone and ensemble is recorded on the album “…But..” with Ensemble Ernst. Matre is not shy about blaming himself for self plagiarism in his titles! The new concerto has a brand new second movement, and the orchestration is expanded from ensemble to full symphony orchestra.
Accomplished composer and soloist
Ørjan Matre was born in 1979 in Bergen, Norway, and received his education at the Norwegian Academy of Music from 1999-2005. His breakthrough composition was “Four Miniatures for Orchestra”, written in 2005. He was the composer in residence of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra from 2006-2008, and was the composer profile of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2012-2013 season. His music has been performed at festivals abroad, such as BBC proms and Darmstadt Ferienkurse. He is the first Norwegian composer since the 1960s to have his music published by Editions Peters.
Sverre Riise has served as principal trombonist of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra since 1997. He has also held positions in the orchestra of the Norwegian Opera and the Malaysia Philharmonic. Riise has been very active in the contemporary music scene, and has performed extensively with Ensemble Ernst and Oslo Sinfonietta. In 2018, Riise accepted the position as Associate Professor of Trombone of the Norwegian Academy of Music, alongside Prof. Jonas Bylund. Their students have already won several prestigious orchestral positions.
“…I have said this before” will have its radio premiere on the 15th of January. It will be available for listening on the website of the Norwegian Radio.
Eyvind Sommerfelt
ITA Online news-coordinator
27.12.2024
*The piece is often mislabeled in track lists of the recording.