Review

Joseph Bodin de Boismortier
Sonatas:

Arranged by Aline Nistad and Jan Fredrik Christiansen

trumpet and trombone

Oslo, , Norway
Publisher: Norsk Musikforlag
Date of Publication: 2009

Score and compact disc

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 2 brass

Boismortier (1689-1755) grew up in Lorraine and was educated in Metz. In 1724 he moved to Paris where he began a lucrative career as a composer and publisher. He was one of the first composers to survive without any patronage. Having obtained a royal license, he earned quite a comfortable living by publishing his music and selling it to the public. He lived during the Rococo era of Louis XV, composing music that was relatively simple to perform but at the same time sophisticated and engaging, works that were widely appreciated by the French musical public during his lifetime and have also withstood the test of time. Jean-Benjamin de la Borde, the famous theorist and Boismortier’s contemporary, wrote the following in his Essay On Ancient And Modern Music (1780):

“Boismortier existed in a time where music was liked to be simple and easy to listen to. This skillful musician made the most of this fashionable taste and composed a multitude of airs and duos for flute, violin, oboe, musette, bassoon, hurdy gurdy...”
This is a set of nine duo sonatas arranged for trumpet and trombone, each consisting of four short movements of varying tempo and character. In the preface the arrangers state the following:
Boismortier’s music is more playful and lighter than our previous project, which was Bach’s Two Part Inventions. Our aim is always to adapt high quality music and use it to develop ensemble playing and technique in a musical and entertaining way.
Included with the music is a compact disc, where one movement from each of the sonatas is recorded. These are expertly performed on trumpet and trombone by the arrangers. Aline Nistad is the principal trombonist in the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and an associate professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music. She frequently appears as a soloist and does seminars and workshops in Norway and abroad. She is also principal trombonist of the Oslo Sinfonietta, an ensemble dedicated to performing and recording contemporary music. Jan Fredrik Christiansen is a professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music and pursues an active career as a performer and teacher in Norway and abroad. He is a member of the Oslo Sinfonietta and was principal trumpet of the Oslo Philharmonic from 1973 until 2007, appearing as a soloist with the orchestra on a number of occasions. 

The Boismortier Sonatas are the second in a continuing series of arrangements for trumpet and trombone in which they have collaborated. The range and technical demands of these duos are of a nature that will enable less experienced players to perform this music. But at the same time, the quality of the music can also make reading these an enjoyable experience for professionals. The quality of printing and paper is first rate with attention to proper page turns and legibility.

-Karl Hinterbichler
University of New Mexico