An innovative programme of 17th & 18th Century works for trombone, showcasing the remarkable range of this instrument in its early incarnation.

Besides his work as the principal trombonist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Jörgen van Rijen has become a frequently requested soloist with a special commitment to promote his instrument, develop new repertoire for the trombone and bring the existing repertoire to a broader audience. In 2004 he was awarded the Netherlands Music Prize, the highest distinction in the field of music from the Dutch Ministry of Culture.

In 2006 he received the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, which is yearly presented to a selection of the most promising and talented young international soloists and ensembles. He won several other prizes, including first prizes at the international trombone competitions of Toulon and Guebwiller.

“We have recorded works by violinist-composers Biagio Marini, Antonio Bertali, and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. Dario Castello is the exception: he was a brass player. Why did those composers pick the trombone, of all instruments, for this purpose, rather than, say, the horn? One of the reasons was that the trombone was the only brass instrument of that period which was capable of playing a complete chromatic scale. In other words, the trombone could execute melodies and runs in the same way as a violin. Around 1800, the newly-invented valves were added to trombones, horns, and trumpets. That made the chromatic scale possible for hornists and trumpeters as well, and it resulted in a kind of terrain shift. Later on, the trombone’s role within classical music was primarily within the symphonic orchestra, where it was used for color and reinforcement. But in music of the baroque period for small ensembles, the trombone was making music together with the strings, as a soloist.” (from liner notes by Katja Reichenfeld)