Review

Ted Vives
Élan con Brio (Minim II):
Bassoon, Trombone, and Piano Duo

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Publisher:
Date of Publication: 2003
URL: http://www.survivesmusic.net

Manuscript

Primary Genre: Chamber Music

Ted Vives (b.1964) holds bachelor’s degrees in both composition and music education from Florida State University where he also studied trombone with William Cramer and John Drew. He holds a Master of Music in Composition and Ph.D. in Music Education from the University of Florida. His works include music in a wide variety of media that have won many honors and have been performed worldwide. Currently he resides in Los Alamos, New Mexico and is the musical and artistic director for the Los Alamos Community Winds. He also performs as principal trombone with both the Los Alamos Symphony and the Santa Fe Community Orchestra and teaches low brass instruments privately. His works for trombone include:
Fanfare and Fugue, trombone choir (1986)
Minim, bassoon, trombone and 2 pianos (2002)
Delineation, trombone and piano (1996)
Verbum Continuum (3 songs), soprano, alto saxophone (or trombone) and piano (1997)   
The Music Lesson (3 songs), soprano, 2 trombones and piano (2010)

Élan con Brio (Minim II) was commissioned by the Professional Music Teachers of New Mexico in 2003 and was the state entry in the Music Teacher’s National Association national competition that year. It is the second work with this instrumentation and was premiered November 7, 2003 at the PMTNM State Convention at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces.
The composer provides the following information about this work:

When I first moved to New Mexico, I used to go to a nearby casino on Friday nights for a seafood buffet. These meals were the first time I had ever been inside a casino. I was immediately struck by the sounds of all the various and different slot machines and how they all combined in a constant wash of sound. Every so often a new sound event would enter and be incorporated into the mix. The whole experience reminded me of minimalist music with the rapid repetition of the same musical ideas and the overlapping sounds and I sat down to try and capture that musically. 

The composer agrees that although scored for bassoon and trombone, Élan con Brio could be performed by two trombones (or any two tenor instruments for that matter).  Indeed from both a balance and musical standpoint it would make perfect sense to perform this with two trombones. The bassoon part poses no extra challenge on the trombone; in fact the two parts are similar in their technical and musical demands.
Throughout this short, lively piece, the two pianos provide a shimmering, minimalist accompaniment to the two soloists; an electronic version of the repetitive piano parts might also work. The melodic lines of the solo instruments provide effective contrast to the accompaniment. These melodies sometimes alternate; other times they sound together or they answer each other. In keeping with its minimalist ethos, the music is tonal throughout. At the same time it is rhythmically and melodically quite interesting.  Conservative in its technical and range demands, it is well within the abilities of good college level performers. There are two measures that call for some simple improvisation from the two soloists. This is well-crafted, interesting music, fun to perform and enjoyable for an audience.

-Karl Hinterbichler
University of New Mexico