Trombone Concerto: The Book of Miracles
Instrumentation: 3 (II & III = picc). 3 (III = ca). 3 (III = bcl). 3 (III = cbsn). - 4.3.3.1. - timp. - 4 prc. - pno (= celesta). - 2 hp. - strings
Percussion:
1.) Glockenspiel; Suspended cymbal; Sizzle cymbal; Tubular Bells; Sanctus bells; med/small Tam-tam; Wooden wind chimes; 4 Tom-toms
2.) Metal wind chimes; Crotales; Tam-tam (shared with Prc.3); Maracas; Tambourine
3.) Tubular bells; Tam-tam (shared with Prc.2.); Suspended cymbal; Low rain stick; 3 Bongos (or 2 + small tom if 3 Bongos unavailable)
4.) Sleigh bells; Bass drum; Whip.
PROGRAMME NOTE
The Book of Miracles is a recently discovered 16th-Century German manuscript, showcasing miraculous signs, natural catastrophes, and Christian myths. Bookended with imagery from the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation, the core of the manuscript is overflowing with vivid illustrations of comets, fantastical creatures, celestial apparitions, and other astronomical phenomena. The manuscript is steeped in European folklore, where inextricably linked events are depicted with chimerical and wondrous clarity. The imagery feels simultaneously modern, existing outside of tme, while grounded in a world of myth, superstition, and Christian mythology.
Three types of celestial apparitions recur throughout: comets, portrayed as ominous omens; parhelia, atmospheric phenomena caused by light refraction through ice crystals; and both solar and lunar eclipses. Together, these form some of the most evocatve and powerful images within the manuscript.
Biblical tales aside, the remainder of the plates are dedicated to images of fantastical creatures – sea serpents seven headed monsters, strange half-human creatures with snakes for tales – all playfully rendered in vivid detail.
From these images I have drawn inspiration for the four movements of this concerto:
I Comet
II Parhelia
III Eclipse (cadenza)
IV Beasts
This piece won an Ivor Novello Award in 2019.
...On the fourth day of the month of May, a terrible comet was seen in the sky... with many fiery flames falling from it. And afer this there followed some strange things.
