Christian Lindberg, "Concerto for Winds and Percussion"
Concerto for Winds and Percussion
Christian Lindberg
Born: February 15, 1958, Danderyd, Sweden
Composed: 2003
Duration: 16 minutes
Christian Lindberg is widely considered to be one of the finest trombone soloists to have ever lived. Born in Danderyd, Sweden (a suburb of Stockholm), he began playing the trumpet in his youth and later took up the trombone as a teenager in order to join a friend’s Dixieland band. His formal studies began in 1976 at the Swedish Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, and continued at the Royal College of Music in London, as well as in Los Angeles. He has since
pursued a spectacular career exclusively as a soloist, with over one hundred concerts per year in major venues, and the premieres of over fifty works for trombone and orchestra. More recently, Lindberg’s career has successfully turned towards conducting. He has served as the primary conductor of the Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Wind Ensemble, and Norwegian Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra. He has appeared as guest conductor with many of the world’s finest orchestras, and is currently serving as the Music Director of the Israel Netanya Kibbutz Orchestra.
Lindberg’s philosophy regarding his work as a composer is simple: “I do not write in any style whatsoever! I just listen to what my brain and my soul tell me, and what I hear I simply put down on paper. To say anything more about my work would be pretentious nonsense.”
The Concerto for Winds and Percussion was commissioned by British conductor Timothy Reynish for the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles’ biannual festival, held in 2002 in Jönköping, Sweden. It is a musically diverse and demanding work, both technically and stylistically. The composer writes, “When performing this piece together in 2003, I knew, although it was a secret, that I was going to start as chief conductor for the Swedish Wind Ensemble in 2005. The work is dedicated to this fine ensemble, and every part is particularly tailored for each of its players. The piece has been frequently performed by ensembles throughout the world, which of course is particularly rewarding for a composer to notice!”
Christian Lindberg, Concerto for Winds and Percussion
Swedish Wind Ensemble, Christian Lindberg, conductor