Described as ‘a potent antidote to the stuffiness that still passes for seriousness at many a concert’, Christian Lindberg, whose most recent appearances on disc has been as a conductor, has again brought his trombone to a recording session, with the usual, ear-opening results. One of the great musical communicators of our time, Lindberg performs virtuoso concertos dedicated by him by composers such as Berio and Xenakis, but is equally at home in light music genres. Here he pays his respects to the great trombonists of swing and jazz, revelling in Glenn Miller's Moonlight Serenade and Fats Waller's Keepin’ Out Of Mischief Now. The 2011 centenary of Lindberg's fellow Swede, the great tenor Jussi Björling, has also occasioned a tribute, and the glamour, fun and high drama of opera is further explored in A Night at the Opera, a medley of favourite arias. Lindberg's great friend Jan Sandström – the composer of the Motorbike Concerto which has taken Lindberg and his trombone around the world countless times – has contributed two pieces: Song to Lotta and A Christian Song, and in a nod to one of his first discs, Lindberg returns to Vivaldi's Four Seasons, giving a dare-devil performance of Spring on his alto trombone. The swinging, glittering and lush accompaniments are provided by Lindberg's 'own' band – the Swedish Wind Ensemble whose chief conductor he is – and add greatly to this Lindbergian extravaganza.
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