Review

Jason Beghtol and Bryan Mitchell
Fire and Ice: an original superhero adventure for Trombone Trio and Percussion

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2009
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 3 trombones
Secondary Genre: Chamber Music

This is an imaginative and cinematic work, complete with programmatic sketches and prose. Classically influenced rock describes its overall style. Like a modern action movie score, it uses simple melodic motives, repetition, rapid shifts between contrasting sections, and a heavy emphasis on syncopation and rhythm to emphasize the story line. Range demands are reasonable: between d and b1 in the first trombone part, A and a1 in the second part, and AA (or EEE) and f in the bass trombone part. The percussion part includes multiple instruments that greatly enhance the cinematic qualities of the piece. There’s nothing about this work that an undergraduate ensemble couldn’t handle. It will make a great closer to a student recital and should leave the audience and performers happy.

-Chris Buckholz
University of Northern Iowa