Dale Sorensen is a passionate performer and promoter of Canadian music who has premiered dozens of solo trombone and chamber works. In addition to his frequent solo recitals, Dale has performed as soloist with the Windsor Symphony, the PEI Symphony, and the Acadia University, UPEI, and University of Toronto Wind Ensembles. Dale has held positions as Principal Trombonist with Symphony Nova Scotia, the Windsor Symphony, the Charlottetown Festival Orchestra and the PEI Symphony, Second Trombonist with the Hamilton Philharmonic, and has freelanced with groups such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Orchestra London, National Ballet of Canada, and Opera Atelier in a tour of Japan. He can be heard on CD recordings with the Elora Festival Orchestra and Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Windsor Symphony, and Symphony Nova Scotia.
“Harambee”, a Swahili word meaning “all pull together”, perfectly captures the spirit of collaboration exemplified by all four works recorded here. These are not so much trombone solos with accompaniment, but rather ensemble works in a variety of musical settings that feature the trombone as an equal partner, and that require a cooperative effort from each and every musician.
Thomas Schudel (b. 1937): Dialogues (1987) for trombone and percussion
with Steven Wassmansdorf, percussion
Dialogues is like a series of conversations between the trombonist and percussionist. The first movement is a very animated discussion, while the second is more subdued with the trombonist humming into the instrument and using the whisper mute. The third movement is a relatively quiet scherzo-like movement with the trombonist using a straight mute. The fourth contrasts a staccato-like percussion sound with a legato cup-muted sound. The last movement reprises some of the earlier musical motives by using the different mutes connected with those ideas. © Thomas Schudel
Scott Good (b. 1972): Sorensen Variations (2000) for trombone and string quartet
with Ton Beau Quartet (Alexa Wilks, Linnea Thacker, violins; Alex McLeod, viola; Sarah Steeves, cello); Scott Good, conductor
Sorensen Variations is both named for and dedicated to Dale Sorensen, and is part of a series of works with Variations in the title. The central theme is stated by the trombone at the beginning, with an almost raga-like quality against a drone in the strings. The theme then weaves itself through the rest of the piece, undergoing several variations, showcasing a variety of textures and rhythms while exploring the unusual relationship of a trombone with string quartet. © Scott Good
Paul Théberge (b. 1953): Jomo (1979) for trombone, percussion and prepared tape
with Steven Wassmansdorf, percussion
Jomo is a large-scale work comprised of several connected sections, and which includes a massive list of European, African, Indian and East Asian percussion instruments. These instruments are separated into three groups: a large multi-instrument setup (consisting of various drums, cymbals, gongs, axatses, dono, timpano, marimba, glockenspiel and other miscellaneous pitched and unpitched instruments), a smaller setup (with gankogui, wood blocks, bongos and ankle bells), and an African hand drum with metal jingles attached to the wrist. The trombonist explores a range of colours and effects through the use of plunger and straight mutes, multiphonics, fluttertonguing and other playing techniques, and by playing a conch shell. The tape part is made up of electronic and recorded trombone sounds.
Barbara York (b. 1949): Nordic Suite (2012) for trombone, tuba and piano
with Jonathan Rowsell, tuba; Vanessa May-lok Lee, piano
Commissioned by Tim and Jessica Buzbee, Nordic Suite is based on the Buzbee’s five children, and was written shortly after they moved from Iceland, where they both played with the Symphony, to Melbourne where Tim won the Principal Tuba position with the Orchestra. I had done a lot of research into Iceland and the Nordic culture, and turned the Suite into a kind of “fantasy” of the children's, based on Nordic culture and heritage (even historical society and tales). The Buzbees provided me with some personality profiles of their kids – four boys and a girl – and I chose “fantasy roles” for them in this Suite as though they were acting out the kinds of make-believe games that Anglo-cultured children also often act out with Knights, Kings, Princes and Princesses, etc., in a Tribal and/or Court Society from the past. The term “Skald” used in the final movement is the Icelandic version of what we would call a “Bard”, or poet/minstrel. The other movements are fairly obvious in their titles and are not necessarily placed in the order of the children's ages, but more in terms of their personalities as they would fit into this “fantasy game” they might have had together. Anticipating some sense of loss and upheaval on the part of the children in moving from Iceland to Australia, I wrote this into the piece as a kind of “nostalgia” and longing that comes out in the final movement. The piece is about both a celebration of childhood and also the loss of it. © Barbara York
This CD was recorded by Peter Olsen at Walter Hall, University of Toronto, 2014-2015
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