Review

William Pagán-Pérez
Concertante Boricua No.4:
Trombone and small wind ensemble

Buffalo, New York, United States
Publisher: William Pagán-Pérez
Date of Publication: 2021
URL: http://www.williampagan.com

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with band

Written for trombone solo with wind ensemble accompaniment, William Pagán-Pérez’s Concertante Boricua No.4 is a three movement virtuosic showpiece featuring a plethora of Latin American and European dance rhythms, memorable themes, and syncopated textures. While the individual movements—entitled I. Plena, II. Mazurka Criolla, and III. Baile En El Batey—are each indicated to be performed within the same range of medium–fast tempi, they follow the scheme of a short dance suite with each featuring unique meters and dance rhythms.

The soloist for Concertante will need to command a great deal of flexibility, an unyielding sense of rhythm, a firm command of the entire playing range of the instrument, a flair for style and phrasing, and a generous amount of endurance. Concertante is written for a somewhat unusual wind ensemble instrumentation of flute, 2 clarinets, 4 saxophones (soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone), horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, and percussion (drum set, bongo drums, guiro, and maraca). Even though its range and tempo requirements are not too extreme, the parts feature a degree of rhythmic independence which may prove to be a challenge for many younger ensembles to perform well.

Pagán-Pérez’s composition highlights a demanding solo part that, if played well, will surely prove to be a crowd pleaser. The parts and score are well edited and formatted and are available through Sheet Music Plus. Concertante is a lively spirited piece that will most surely find its way onto many wind ensemble concert programs for many years to come.