Motorbike Odyssey
Encyclopedia
Motorbike Odyssey is the Trombone Concerto No. 1 by Swedish
composer Jan Sandström
. The concerto
for solo tenor trombone
and large orchestra
, written in 1989, is sometimes called Motorbike Concerto. It was dedicated to the trombone virtuoso Christian Lindberg
. The piece is meant to be a musical telling of a modern Odysseus
, traveling the world with his trombone.
rolls onto the stage, driven by Lindberg. He is dressed in full, light red leathers and generally makes a very impressive sight. Wasting no time, the orchestra begins with haunting chords, shrieking lower and lower, and the concerto begins.
In the first movement, the soloist imitates the sound of a motorcycle changing gears. The extended trombone technique of flutter tonguing is used in combination with a plunger mute to create this effect. As the trombone section takes over this sound, the soloist shifts into a complicated passage of very high, and very fast notes. This eventually subsides into the cessation of the soloist's playing, as he physically draws out the parts of the globe with his trombone slide.
Movement two is an evocation of the Florida
Everglades
. The soloist begins by playing the "crocodile
chorus", a multiphonic
passage that requires the soloist to produce chords with the trombone, as well as sing. This section also includes growling sounds, and other various extended trombone techniques.
Movement three suggests a motorcycle race through French Provence
during a Christian procession. It includes more motorcycle sounds, this time with the soloist playing along with the entire trombone section. Eventually the upper winds start playing a religious-sounding melody, and the soloist plays very lightly in the background, the sound of a motorcycle. Though it is the sound of a distant machine, the tones harmonize with the procession music. Eventually the soloist plays a countermelody against the processional music. The movement ends with the soloist playing a very high and loud note until his air is gone. Then he sucks in with a deathly sound and begins the next movement.
Movement four is based on the sounds of aborigine
tribes and the desert of Australia
. It is essentially a long, virtouso trombone solo played in imitation of the didgeridoo
. The soloist plays a pedal B-flat, and sings an F, a twelfth higher. This, combined with different articulations, screams and occasional harmonic changes, creates a sound resembling didgeridoo. The movement ends with another gasp for air.
Movement five is the finale. It begins with a slightly altered version of the "Crocodile Chorus", and recaps the various other movements of the piece. It ends with the soloist flutter tonguing a very loud note while spinning around in circles. This creates a sinusoidal sound effect, with a rising and falling volume. The soloist takes one last gasp for air and harmonizes with the orchestra on a final note that fades into silence.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
composer Jan Sandström
Jan Sandström (composer)
Jan Sandström is a Swedish classical music composer, known for the so-called Motorbike Concerto for trombone and orchestra and his choral setting of Es ist ein Ros entsprungen.-Career:...
. The concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
for solo tenor trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
and large orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, written in 1989, is sometimes called Motorbike Concerto. It was dedicated to the trombone virtuoso Christian Lindberg
Christian Lindberg
Christian Lindberg is a Swedish trombonist, conductor and composer.As a youth, Lindberg learned to play the trumpet, and subsequently began to learn the trombone at age 17. He originally borrowed a trombone to join his friends' Dixieland jazz group, inspired by records of Jack Teagarden...
. The piece is meant to be a musical telling of a modern Odysseus
Odysseus
Odysseus or Ulysses was a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the Odyssey. Odysseus also plays a key role in Homer's Iliad and other works in the Epic Cycle....
, traveling the world with his trombone.
Orchestration
The orchestration is complex, calling for a large orchestra with additional piano, harp, full percussion section and virtuoso metal plate striker. Perhaps surprisingly, considering some of the sounds in the piece, the score is written in common time and using standard notation, rather than involving improvisation or chance. The solo part itself, at almost 24 minutes in length, is highly complex, spanning the bass, tenor, and treble clefs and calling for considerable extended technique.The performance
Lindberg's world premiere serves as the guideline for how the piece should be performed. The audience sits facing the stage and the orchestra tuning. Suddenly, there is a loud engine sound, and a white motorcycleMotorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
rolls onto the stage, driven by Lindberg. He is dressed in full, light red leathers and generally makes a very impressive sight. Wasting no time, the orchestra begins with haunting chords, shrieking lower and lower, and the concerto begins.
In the first movement, the soloist imitates the sound of a motorcycle changing gears. The extended trombone technique of flutter tonguing is used in combination with a plunger mute to create this effect. As the trombone section takes over this sound, the soloist shifts into a complicated passage of very high, and very fast notes. This eventually subsides into the cessation of the soloist's playing, as he physically draws out the parts of the globe with his trombone slide.
Movement two is an evocation of the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Everglades
Everglades
The Everglades are subtropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee...
. The soloist begins by playing the "crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
chorus", a multiphonic
Multiphonic
Multiphonics is an extended technique in instrumental music in which a monophonic instrument is made to produce several notes at once....
passage that requires the soloist to produce chords with the trombone, as well as sing. This section also includes growling sounds, and other various extended trombone techniques.
Movement three suggests a motorcycle race through French Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
during a Christian procession. It includes more motorcycle sounds, this time with the soloist playing along with the entire trombone section. Eventually the upper winds start playing a religious-sounding melody, and the soloist plays very lightly in the background, the sound of a motorcycle. Though it is the sound of a distant machine, the tones harmonize with the procession music. Eventually the soloist plays a countermelody against the processional music. The movement ends with the soloist playing a very high and loud note until his air is gone. Then he sucks in with a deathly sound and begins the next movement.
Movement four is based on the sounds of aborigine
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
tribes and the desert of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is essentially a long, virtouso trombone solo played in imitation of the didgeridoo
Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo is a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australians of northern Australia around 1,500 years ago and still in widespread usage today both in Australia and around the world. It is sometimes described as a natural wooden trumpet or "drone pipe"...
. The soloist plays a pedal B-flat, and sings an F, a twelfth higher. This, combined with different articulations, screams and occasional harmonic changes, creates a sound resembling didgeridoo. The movement ends with another gasp for air.
Movement five is the finale. It begins with a slightly altered version of the "Crocodile Chorus", and recaps the various other movements of the piece. It ends with the soloist flutter tonguing a very loud note while spinning around in circles. This creates a sinusoidal sound effect, with a rising and falling volume. The soloist takes one last gasp for air and harmonizes with the orchestra on a final note that fades into silence.